r 

597 

K3 


"About  the  noblest  work  that  man  ca?i  do  :>  the  <l-:-"'iopmtn+  of  r/u's  magnificent 
continent  of  yours." — THOMAS  HUGHES,  M.  P. 


AN 


ADDRESS 


BY 


HON.  WM.  D.  KELLE\ 


7 


[Reported  by  D.  WOLFE  BROWN,  Phonograplier,] 


ox  THE 


PACIFIC  RAILWAY, 


IN    ITS   RELATIONS   TO   THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    NORTHWESTERN    SECTION    OF   THE 

UNITED    STATES,    AND    TO    THE    INDUSTRIAL   AND    COMMERCIAL 

INTERESTS    OF    THE    NATION. 


HON.  WILLIAM  D.  KELLEY : 


Philadelphia,  May  27th,  1371, 


DEAR  SIR:— Recognizing  your  position  as  a  representative  American,  with  an 
intelligent  interest  in  the  material  progress  of  the  country,  we  respectfully  ask  you 
to  address  the  Commercial  Exchange  and  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  at  your 
earliest  convenience,  on  the  development  of  the  Northwest  section  of  the  Conti 
nent  by  the  building  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  the  effect  of  this 
enterprise  upon  the  trade,  manufactures  and  commerce  of  our  State  and  city. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servants, 


S.   I.   COMLY, 

President  Commercial  Exchange. 

MORTON  McMiCHAEL, 
M.   BAIRD  &  Co., 
E.   HARPER  JEFFRIES, 
GEORGE  L.  BUZBY, 
S.  J.   CHRISTIAN, 
SAMUEL  M.   FELTON, 

President  Pennsylvania  Steel  Co. 

WASHINGTON  J.  JACKSON, 
P.  A.  KELLER, 
HERMAN  J.  LOMBAERT, 

President  American  Steamship  Co. 

J.  W.  JONES, 

Sec.  Philadelphia  and  Reading  Eailroad. 

THOMAS  A.  SCOTT, 

Pres.  Pa.  Co.  and  P.  C.  and  S.  L.  E.  E. 

J.  G.  FELL, 

A.   R.   McHENRY, 

LEWIS    AUDENREID, 

EDWIN  N.  BENSON, 
JOHN  P.  WETHERILL, 
A.  WHITNEY  &  SONS, 
C.  H.   CLARK, 
JAMES  L.   CLAGHORN, 
G.  M.  TROUTMAN, 
ASA  PACKER, 

President  Lehigh  Valley  Eailroad. 

E.  A.  ROLLINS, 
N.  B.  BROWNE, 
THOMAS  ROBINS, 
JOHN  JORDAN,  JR., 
HENRY  H.  BINGHAM, 
ALEX.  G.  CATTELL  &  Co., 
DELL  NOBLIT,  JR., 
LOGAN  BROS.  &  Co., 
FREDERICK  FRALEY, 


J.  EDGAR  THOMSON, 

President  Pennsylvania  Eailroad. 

THOMAS  SMITH, 
HENRY  D.  WELSH, 
HENRY  LEWIS, 
DANIEL  SMITH,  JR., 
WILLIAM  G.  CROWELL, 
J.  W.  FORNEY, 
WILLIAM  C.  LONGSTRETH, 
COFFIN  COLKET, 
CHARLES  PL  ATT, 
ISAAC  HINCKLEY, 

President  P.  W.  and  B.  Eailroad. 

W.  W.  HARDING, 
GEORGE  H.  STUART, 
A.  P.  COLESBURY, 
D.  FAUST, 

JOEL  J.  BAILY  &  Co., 
JOHN  O.  JAMES, 
CHARLES  SANTEE, 
SAMUEL  H.  SHIPLEY, 
THOMAS  C.  HAND, 

D.  B.  CUMMINS, 
ARTHUR  G.  COFFIN, 
HENRY  D.  SHERRERD, 
J.  P.  AERTSEN, 

T>-eas.  H.  and  B.  T.  M.  E.  E.  and  Coal  Co. 
M.  P.  HUTCHINSON, 

President  Cataivissa  Eailroad. 
W.   L.   GlLROY, 

Treasurer  Cataivissa  Eailroad. 

F.  A.  COMLY, 

President  North  Pennsylvania  Eailroad. 

G.  A.  WOOD, 

E.  C.  KNIGHT  &  Co., 
R.  H.  DOWNING, 

President  B.  and  S.  E.  E.  Co. 


Philadelphia,  June  5ih,  1871. 

GENTLEMAN: — Your  invitation  to  address  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia  on  the 
development  of  the  Northwestern  section  of  the  United  States  by  the  building  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  the  effect  of  this  enterprise  upon  the  trade, 
manufactures  and  commerce  of  our  State  and  city,  invites  me  to  continue  in  the 
advocacy  of  an  enterprise  for  the  promotion  of  which  I  have,  as  opportunity  offered, 
labored  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

I  will  find  pleasure  in  complying  with  your  request  on  the  evening  of  Monday 
next,  the  i2th  inst.  With  thanks  for  the  flattering  terms  in  which  you  were  pleased 
to  express  your  wishes,  I  am, 


Very  truly  yours, 


WILLIAM  D.  KELLEY. 


To  S.  I.  Comly,  J.  Edgar  Thomson,  Thomas  A.  Scott,  John  O.  James,  M.  Baird 
&  Co.,  George  H.  Stuart,  and  others. 


The  public  meeting,  which  was  called  in  pursuance  of  the  above  correspond 
ence,  assembled  in  the  American  Academy  of  Music,  on  the  evening  of  Monday, 
June  12.  A  crowded  audience  of  more  than  four  thousand  citizens  of  Philadelphia, 
and  prominent  gentlemen  from  other  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  attested  the  general 
interest  felt  in  the  subject  to  be  discussed. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Seth  I.  Comly,  Esq.,  and  the  following 
officers  were  then  elected  : 

President : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  JOHN  W.  GEARY, 

GOVERNOR   OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Vice-Presidents : 


Hon.  JOHN  SWIFT, 
Col.  JAMES  PAGE, 
WM.  M.  MEREDITH, 
J.  O.  JAMES, 
A.  J.  LEWIS, 
Jos.  PRICE, 
HENRY  M.  PHILLIPS, 
JOHN  FARNUM, 
NATHAN  BROOKE, 
WASH.  J.  JACKSON, 
GEORGE  FALES, 
JOHN  SELLERS, 
HENRY  WINSOR, 
MATTHEW  BAIRD, 
Gen.  R.  PATTERSON, 
ALEXANDER  BROWN, 
Gen.  W.  McCANDLESS, 
Gen.  H.  H.  BINGHAM, 
A.  G.  CATTELL, 


ROBT.  P.  DECHERT, 
A.  J.  DERBYSHIRE, 
JAY  COOKE, 
S.  BRADFORD, 
RICHARD  WRIGHT, 
JOHN  A.  HOUSEMAN, 
HENRY  C.  CAREY, 
HENRY  G.  MORRIS, 
J.  RINALDO  SANK, 
JAMES  MCMANES, 
C.  A.  GRISCOM, 
CHARLES  WHEELER, 
J.  H.  MICHENER, 
JAMES  C.  HAND, 
ALEX.  WHILLDIN, 
SETH  I.  COMLY, 
N.  B.  BROWNE, 
WILLIAM  MASSEY, 
FURMAN  SHEPPARD, 


S.  A.  CROZER, 
WM.  B.  BEMENT, 
WM.  GILLESPIE, 
MORTON  MCMICHAEL, 
ALFRED  DAY, 
WILLIAM  ELLIOTT, 
CALEB  COPE, 
GEORGE  A.  WOOD, 
WM.  V.  MCGRATH, 
MORRIS  DAVIS, 
JAMES  POLLOCK, 
SAML.  J.  REEVES, 
SAML.  E.  STOKES, 
E.  Y.  TOWNSEND, 
JACOB  RIEGEL, 
THOS.  E.  HAND, 
EVAN  RANDOLPH, 
ISAAC  JEANES, 
LEWIS  AUDENREID, 


E.  H.  TROTTER, 
JAS.  F.  STOCKDALE, 
BENJAMIN  BULLOCK, 
HENRY  PREAUT,          , 
CLARENCE  H.  CLARKE, 
JOHN  DEVEREUX, 
B.  K.  JAMISON, 
WILLIAM  GREER, 
FRED.  H.  NEWHALL, 
HENRY  C.  GIBSON, 
JOSIAH  BACON, 
DR.  E.  C.  KAMERLY, 
GEO.  L.  HARRISON, 
JAMES  ALBRIGHT, 
GEORGE  WHITNEY, 
E.  W.  CLARKE, 
E.  A.  KNIGHT, 

J.  GlLLINGHAM    FELL, 

GEORGE  G.  PARRISH, 


5 


J.  G.  ROSENGARTEN, 

JOHN  C.  MCCALL, 
WILLIAM  S.  GRANT, 
WILLIAM  D.  LEWIS, 
Gen.  C.  M.  PREVOST, 
GEORGE  W.  BIDDLE, 
E.  C.  KNIGHT, 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT, 
COFFIN  COLKET, 

WM.  H.  IIORSTMANN, 

E.  HARPER  JEFFRIES, 
ALFRED  D.  JESSUP, 
DAVID  S.  BROWN, 
JOSEPH  LEA, 
FRANCIS  R.  COPE, 
ANDREW  WHEELER, 
WILLIAM  J.  NEAD, 
JOHN  J.  THOMPSON, 
THOMAS  SMITH, 

D.  B.  CUMMINS, 

E.  M.  LEWIS, 

B.  B.  COMEGYS, 
JOSEPH  MOORE, 
A.  G.  COFFIN, 
WILLIAM  ADAMSON, 

C.  H.  SCHOENER, 
W.  C.  ALLISON, 

J.   B.   McC'REARY, 

Louis  WAGNER, 
JOHN  E.  GRAEFF, 
Gen.  JOSHUA  T.  OWEN, 
WILLIAM  BUMM, 
HENRY  LEWIS, 
RICHARD  WOOD, 
SAMUEL  W.  CATTELL, 
HENRY  HUHN, 
JAMES  L.  CLAGHORN, 
JOHN  W.  FORNEY, 
FRED.  FRALEY, 
W.  W.  HARDING, 
A.  R.  MCHENRY, 
H.  G.  Go  WEN, 
ROBERT  SHOEMAKER, 
CHARLES  VEZIN, 

F.  W.  LOCKWOOD, 
L.  WESTERGAARD, 
Jos.  BAILEY, 

J.  E.  CALDWELL, 
J.  M.  WHITALL, 
H.  B.  BENNERS, 
L.  C.  MADEIRA, 
THOMAS  B.  WATTSON, 
WILLIAM  BROCKIE, 
GEORGE  C.  CARSON, 
C.  P.  KNIGHT, 
JOHN  L.  HOUGH, 
P.  B.  MINGLE, 
FRED.  GERKER, 
E.  C.  EBY, 
WILLIAM  B.  MANN, 
JAMES  GRAHAM, 
H.  W.  WORKMAN, 
JERRY  WALKER, 
E.  A.  SOUDER, 
WILLIAM  CUMMINGS, 
THEO.  CUYLER, 
ROBERT  K.  NEFF, 


G.  F.  LENNIG, 

Gen.  ROBT.  L.  BODINE, 

J.  EDGAR  THOMSON, 

A.  C.  CRAIGE, 
STEPHEN  FLANAGAN, 

B.  H.  BARTEL, 
THOMAS  CLYDE, 

J.  VAUGHN  MERRICK, 
HENRY  GEIGER, 
A.  J.  FOCHT, 
ED.  S.  HANDY, 
WM.  MCALEER, 
J.  S.  NEW  LIN, 
BENJ.  HORNER, 
CHARLES  J.  SHARPLESS, 
REEVE  L.  KNIGHT, 
CLEMENT  BIDDLE, 
BENJ.  ORNE, 
JOHN  W.  THOMAS, 
HENRY  M.  STONE, 

C.  H.  CUMMINGS, 
W.  E.  LOCKWOOD, 
MADISON  R.  HARRIS, 
CHARLES  SMITH, 

P.  S.  JANNEY, 

FRANCIS  JORDAN, 
J.  V.  CREELY, 
ISAAC  G.  COLESBERRY, 
Hon.  J.  F.  BELSTERLING, 
CHARLES  B.  TREGO, 
N.  P.  SHORTRIDGE, 
H.  H.  LIPPINCOTT, 
JOHN  H.  KRAUSE, 
THORNTON  CONRO\V, 
JAS.  S.  MARTIN, 
GEORGE  J.  WATERMAN, 
WILLIAM  T.  KIRK, 
ISAAC  HOUGH, 
F.  F.  BERNADOU, 
WILLIAM  L.  JAMES, 
HENRY  MARCUS, 
C.  H.  GARDEN, 
AUGUSTUS  H  EATON, 
WILLIAM  H.  SOWERS, 
WILLIAM  S.  STOKI.EY, 
JOHN  L.  SHOEMAKER, 
THOMAS  A.  SCOTT, 
J.  M.  VANCE, 
N.  B.  KNEASS, 
A.  H.  FRANCISCUS, 
E.  P.  KERSHOW, 
E.  TRACY, 
HENRY  DAVIS, 
ASA  WHITNEY, 
WM.  L.  MCDOWELL, 
HENRY  D.  WELSH, 
A.  F.  CHESEBROUGH, 
E.  H.  BUTLER, 
W.  H.  FLITCRAFT, 
HENRY  W.  GRAY, 
ISAAC  KOHN, 
C.  MAGARGEE, 
ROBERT  H.  BEATTY, 
J.  M.  WILCOX, 
SAMUEL  G.  KING, 
THOMAS  SPARKS, 
GEORGE  TRUMAN, 


M.  J.  DOHAN, 
ISAAC  HINCKLEY, 
THOS.  DOLAN, 
HERMAN  J.  LOMBAERT, 
JOHN  P.  WETHERILL, 
J.  W.  JONES, 
GEO.  A.  NICOLLS, 
J.  P.  AERTSEN, 
M.  P.  HUTCHINSON, 
ASA  PACKER, 

E.  A.  ROLLINS, 

F.  A.  COMLY, 
GEO.  HOWELL, 
SAMUEL  FIELD, 
SAMUEL  WELSH, 
JOHN  WELSH,  JR., 
JOHN  P.  VERREE, 
WM.  E.  LITTLETON, 
WASHINGTON  BUTCHER, 
WILLIAM  DORSEY, 

A.  T.  EBERMAN, 
ROBERT  CORNELIUS, 
SAMUEL  J.  CHRISTIAN, 
WILLIAM  B.  ELLISON, 
THOMAS  H.  MOORE, 
A.  K.  MCCLURE, 
PETER  WILLIAMSON, 
FREDERICK  LADNER, 
J.  L.  ERRINGER, 
WILLIAM  G.  BOULTON, 
EDWARD  S.  CLARKE, 
ROBERT  TOLAND, 
WILLIAM  M.  GREINER, 
EDWIN  GREBLE, 
WILLIAM  M.  BAIRD, 
JOHN  RICE, 
SAMUEL  T.  BODINE, 
WILLIAM  PURVES, 
SAUNDERS  LEWIS, 
WM.  C.  HOUSTON, 
JOSHUA  P.  EYRE. 
THOS.  P.  STOTESBURY, 
DANIEL  SMITH, 
CHRISTIAN  HOFFMAN, 
CHAS.  MAC  A  LESTER, 
GEO.  H.  STUART, 
CHAS.  S.  LEWIS, 
JOHN  B.  AUSTIN, 
SAMUEL  BISPHAM, 
WM.  STEVENSON, 
SAMUEL  B.  THOMAS, 

P.  FlTZPATRICK, 

MORO  PHILIPS, 
JESSE  GODLEY, 

D.  H.  KlRKPATRICK, 

W.  H.  ASHHURST, 
JOHN  ROBBINS, 
M.  HALL  STANTON, 
WILLIAM  ANSPACH, 
ORLANDO  CREASE, 
WM.  A.  PORTER, 
EDMUND  L.  LEVY, 
Gen.  GIDEON  CLARKE, 
WM.  L.  HIRST, 
HENRY  BORAEF, 

JAS.  BONBRIGHT, 


BENJ.  HOMER, 
CHARLES  PLATT, 

C.  B.  DURBOROW, 
F.  A.  KLEMM, 

S.  GROSS  FRY, 
J.  FRALEY  SMITH, 
Jos.  H.  TROTTER, 
WM.  CRAMP, 
L.  C.  CASSIDY, 
GEO.  N.  ALLEN, 
JOHN  A.  SHERMER, 
Louis  HAEHNLEN, 
JACOB  G.  NEAFIE, 
JOSEPH  WAYNE, 
Gen.  JOHN  F.  BALLIER, 
ALEX'M.  Fox, 
Jos.  F.  MARCER, 
JOHN  O'BYRNE, 
THOS.  G.  HOOD, 
THOS.  W.  EVANS, 
WM.  R.  LEEDS, 
GEORGE  K.  ZEIGLER, 

D.  C.  W.  SMITH, 
WISTAR  MORRIS, 
JNO.  H.  GATHER  WOOD, 

E.  N.  BENSON, 
H.  C.  KELLOG, 
Jos.  H.  DULLES, 
GEORGE  DE  B.  KEIM, 
STEPHEN  S.  PRICE, 
W.  J.  POLLOCK, 
ALEXANDER  KERR, 

S.  FULTON, 

S.  S.  SCATTERGOOD, 

JAMES  ABBOTT, 
JOHN  S.  WEIMER, 
GEORGE  L.  BUZBY, 
JOHN  H.  -DOHNERT, 
ISRAEL  PETERSON, 
JOHN  A.  BROWN, 
AMBROSE  WHITE, 
JOHN  MASON, 
GILLES  DALLETT, 
RICHARD  VAUX, 
CHARLES  McKEON, 
RICHARD  LUDLOW, 
THADDEUS  FAIRBANKS, 
ARTHUR  COLBURN,     . 
WM.  M.  WILSON, 
PAUL  GRAFF, 
J.  HARVEY  COCHRAN, 
ALF.  E.  HARMER, 
LEONARD  MYERS, 
SAMUEL  J-  RANDALL, 
WM.  E.  MISKEY, 
D.  LANDRETH, 
RICHARD  LEVICK, 
A.  A.  SHUMWAY, 
W.  J.  CANER, 
JOHN  WANAMAKER, 
D.  H.  ROCKHILL, 
T.  S.  EMERY, 
J.  J.  BUCHEY, 
THOS.  S.  FERNON, 
J.  E.  ADDICKS, 
HENRY  D.  SHERRERD. 


Secretaries : 


ALEX.  P.  COLESBERRY, 
GEORGE  A.  SMITH, 
LORIN  BLODGET, 
STEPHEN  N.  WINSLOW, 
CLAYTON  MCMICHAEL, 
ELI  T.  STARR, 
LEWIS  WALN  SMITH, 
PETER  LESLEY, 
JOHN  D. STOCKTON, 
JAS.  S.  CHAMBERS, 
WM.  F.  CORBIT, 


ALEX.  J.  MCCLEARY, 

WM.  H.  ClJNNINGTON, 

WM.  B.  HANNA, 
DAVID  F.  HOUSTON, 
ALBERT  FRICK, 
G.  W.  HAMERSLEY, 
RITER  FITZGERALD, 
CHARLES  K.  IDE, 
GEORGE  G.  Pi  ERIE, 
HARRY  TODD, 


FRANK  WELLS, 
R.  SHEL.  MACKENZIE, 
JOHN  D.  WATSON, 
Jos.  K.  MCCAMMON, 
CHAS.  E.  WARBURTON, 
W.  W.  NEVIN, 
C.  E.  SCHOOL, 
E.  E.  MORWITZ, 
Jos.  H.  PAIST, 
ROBT.  A.  WELSH, 


DENNIS  F.  DEALY, 
TAS.  B.  ALEXANDER, 

E.  J.  SWARTZ, 

Jos.  ROBINSON, 
CHAS.  MCCLINTOCK, 

F.  W.  THOMAS, 
ROBT.  FRIEDLANDE, 
JOHN  BLAKELEY, 
JOHN  G.  FORD, 
EDMUND  DEACON. 


Governor  Geary,  on  taking  the  chair,  said  : 

FELLOW  CITIZENS  : — Having  been  called  to  preside  over  the  deliberations  of 
this  vast  and  intelligent  assembly,  I  desire  to  return  to  you  my  most  sincere  thanks 
for  such  an  honorable  compliment. 

We  have  met  this  evening,  not  for  the  purpose  of  rehearsing  the  oft-repeated 
stories  of  triumphant  marches  and  victorious  battle-fields,  of  squandered  treasure  and 
sacrificed  human  lives,  but  to  hear  and  learn  from  the  eloquent  and  distinguished 
gentlemen  who  will,  in  discussing  one  of  the  most  important  enterprises  of  the  age, 
address  us  upon  some  of  the  most  distinguishing  physical  features  of  our  country,  and 
in  so  doing  illustrate  its  wonderful  progress  and  material  growth  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific  ocean. 

Particular  reference  will  doubtless  be  made  to  the  various  resources  and 
advantages  of  that  portion  of  the  United  States  territory  to  be  traversed  by  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  now  in  process  of  construction. 

From  trie  stern  alarms  of  a  recent  civil  war  we  turn  with  pleasure  to  the  culti 
vation  and  advancement  of  all  the  arts  of  peace,  and  the  development  of  the  match 
less  resources  of  our  country.  It  is  our  desire  to  keep  pace  with  all  the  laws  of  pro 
gress  in  such  manner  as  will  guarantee  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness  to 
all  who  may  desire  to  seek  new  homes  in  the  magnificent  territory  about  to  be 
developed,  whether  they  be  to  the  "  manor  born"  or  are  "strangers  within  our 
gates,"  and  thus  prove  that  "  Peace  hath  victories  no  less  renowned  than  war." 

Through  the  influence,  wisdom  and  enterprise  of  some  of  the  prominent  mer 
chants,  bankers  and  railroad  men  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
will  receive  and  discharge  many  of  it  passengers  and  much  of  it  valuable  freight  in 
Philadelphia.  It  will  make  our  State  the  great  thoroughfare  of  nations,  and  our 
steamship  line  to  Europe  will  be  an  assured  success. 

Pennsylvanians,  therefore,  should  not  be  indifferent  to  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad,  as  they  have  their  highest  interests  involved  in  its  prompt  prosecution 
and  speedy  construction. 

In  conclusion,  fellow  citizens,  I  invoke  your  earnest  co-operation  and  assist 
ance  in  this  great  work,  by  which,  in  addition  to  the  subservance  of  personal  and 
local  interests,  the  most  distant  portions  of  our  country  will  not  only  be  united  and 
bound  together  with  bonds  of  iron,  but  by  the  more  indissoluble  links  of  a  common 
brotherhood.  I  have  now  the  honor  of  introducing  the  orator  of  the  evening,  Hon. 
William  D.  Kelley. 


Hon.  WILLIAM  D.  KELLEY,  who  was 
received  with  hearty  and  long-continued 
applause,  said : 

I  thank  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  for 
this  very  cordial  reception,  and  beg  leave 
to  express  my  gratitude  to  the  gentlemen 
who,  by  their  invitation,  have  afforded 
me  an  opportunity  to  contribute,  how 
ever  humbly,  towards  the  completion  of 
a  work  which,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  I  have  regarded  as  of  prime 
importance  to  the  country,  and  of  spe 
cial  value  to  my  native  city  and  State, 
and  for  the  promotion  of  which,  during 
that  period,  I  have  labored  as  opportu 
nity  offered.  I  do  not  expect  the  state 
ment  of  facts  I  shall  make  to  be  accepted 
without  many  grains  of  allowance  by 
those  of  my  hearers  who  have  not  visited 
the  trans-Missouri  portion  of  our  country; 
and  shall  not  be  surprised  if  many  of 
you  leave  the  hall  with  the  opinion  that 
I  have  dealt  largely  in  exaggeration. 
Yet  it  is  my  purpose  to  speak  within 
the  limits  of  truth,  and  to  make  no  state 
ment  that  is  not  justified  by  my  personal 
observation,  or  authorities  that  all  are 
bound  to  recognize,  or  the  concurrent 
statements  of  numbers  of  inhabitants  of, 
and  travellers  through,  the  country  of 
which  I  am  to  speak. 

The  truth  is,  that  however  well  informed 
a  man  may  be  and  however  large  the  grasp 
of  his  mind,  if  his  life  has  been  passed 
between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Mississippi 
river,  he  cannot  fully  conceive  the  strange 
contrasts  between  the  characteristics  of 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  portions  of  our 


country.  The  difference  in  topography 
is  marked,  and  recognized  by  all;  but  as 
to  the  subtle  differences  of  climate,  soil, 
temperature  and  atmosphere,  experience, 
alone,  can  impart  conviction. 

About  two  years  ago,  it  was  my  privi 
lege,  in  connection  with  my  colleagues 
on  the  Committee  of  Ways  Means  of  the 
National  House  of  Representatives,  to 
traverse  the  entire  route  of  the  Union  and 
Central  Pacific  Pvoad  by  daylight,  and  to 
visit  Salt  Lake  City,  which  was,  as  all 
know,  located  in  the  heart  of  the  "Great 
Desert,"  that  it  might  be  the  centre  of  a 
Mormon  empire  that  would  be  guarded 
by  the  forces  of  Nature  against  Gentile 
intrusion.  After  having  somewhat  studied 
California,  with  San  Francisco  as  our 
head-quarters,  we  passed  up  the  coast  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river,  along  that 
beautiful  stream  to  its  confluence  with  the 
Willamette,  and  up  the  Willamette  to 
Portland,  Oregon,  as  a  new  point  of  de 
parture  for  observation,  visiting  thence  on 
one  line  of  steamers,  Oregon  city,  with  its 
immense  flouring  and  woolen  mills,  and 
on  another,  the  grandeur  (for  beauty  does 
not  express  it)  of  the  Columbia  river  be 
yond  the  Cascades  and  onward  to  the 
Dalles.  Though  that  region  had  so  long 
been  a  matter  of  interest  to  me,  the  study 
of  which  had  afforded  so  much  pleas 
ure,  each  day  revealed  new  and  strange 
conditions,  and  imbued  me  with  a  fresh 
sense,  not  only  of  the  extent  of  our  country, 
but  of  the  grandeur  and  infinite  variety 
of  its  resources  and  the  beneficence  and 
power  of  the  Almighty,  in  adapting  all 


PACIFIC    RAILROAD    HISTORY. 


parts  of  it  to  the  sustenance  and  com 
fort  of  man.     But  of  this  hereafter. 

Let  me  first  invite  your  attention  to 
facts  within  the  memory  of  some  of  my 
auditors,  which  show  that  the  resources 
of  the  new  northwest  and  its  adapta 
bility  to  railroad  purposes  are  not,  as  is 
sometimes  intimated,  of  recent  discovery, 
but  have  long  been  known,  and  that  the 
route  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
is  that  originally  proposed,  because  it 
is  the  shortest  and  best  by  which  to  con 
nect  the  seaboard  at  Baltimore,  Philadel 
phia,  New  York,  'Boston  and  Portland, 
Me.,  with  the  waters  of  Puget  Sound  and 
the  commerce  of  the  ancient  East,  which 
is  now  the  West,  the  march  towards  which, 
of  American  ideas  is  illustrating  again 
the  truth  that, 
"  Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way." 

Pacific  Railroad  History. 

During  the  summer  of  1845,  twenty- 
six  years  ago,  Asa  Whitney,  of  New  York, 
who  had  spent  many  years  in  China,  and 
sought,  by  all  such  agencies  as  were  at  the 
command  of  private  enterprise,  informa 
tion  about  the  country  lying  between 
Lake  Michigan  and  Puget  Sound,  did  me 
the  honor  to  seek  my  acquaintance  and 
bring  to  my  attention  the  subject  of  a 
railroad  from  the  base  of  the  Lake  to 
some  point  in  Oregon,  on  the  waters  of 
Puget  Sound  or  the  Columbia  river,  or  to 
a  point  on  each.  The  whole  subject  was 
new  to  me ;  but  Mr.  Whitney  came  pre 
pared  to  enlighten  those  who  were  igno 
rant,  and  to  inspire  with  faith  those  who 
doubted.  His  general  views  were  in 
print,  and  embodied  columns  of  statis 
tics,  obtained  from  official  sources,  and 
many  facts  reported  by  persons  who  had 
travelled  more  or  less  through  the  region 
which  the  proposed  road  was  to  traverse. 
The  magnitude  of  the  subject  inspired  me, 
and  my  enthusiasm  for  his  great  project 
induced  Mr.  Whitney,  despite  the  dis 
parity  in  our  years,  to  Favor  me  with  fre 
quent  conferences,  and  to  bring  to  my 
attention  whatever  information  relating 


to  the  subject  he  obtained.  Early  in  the 
year  1846,  I  felt  justified,  by  the  growth 
of  sentiment  in  its  favor,  in  undertaking 
to  secure  him  an  opportunity  to  present 
his  project  to  a  public  meeting  of  the 
citizens  of  Philadelphia.  To  induce  a 
sufficient  number  of  gentlemen  to  act  as 
officers  of  the  meeting  was  the  work  of 
time.  I  found  few  who  took  an  inte 
rest  in,  or  believed  in  the  feasibility 
of,  the  project.  Some  said  that  a  rail 
road  so  far  north  would  not  be  available 
for  as  many  months  in  the  year  as 
the  Pennsylvania  canals  were ;  that  it 
would  be  buried  in  snow  more  than  half 
the  year.  Others  cried,  "What  madness 
to  talk  of  a  railroad  more  than  two  thou 
sand  miles  long  through  that  wilderness, 
when  it  is  impossible  to  build  one  over 
the  Alleghanies ! ' '  [Laughter  and  ap 
plause.] 

As  I  went  from  man  to  man  with  Mr. 
Whitney's  invaluable  collection  of  facts 
and  figures,  I  discovered  that  the  doubts 
with  which  the  work  must  contend  were 
infinite  in  number,  and  it  was  not  until 
six  months  had  elapsed  that  a  sufficient 
number  of  well-known  citizens  to  con 
stitute  the  officers  of  a  meeting  had 
.  consented  to  sign  the  call  for  one  and 
act  as  such.  But  patience  and  perse- 
verence  accomplish  a  good  deal  in  this 
world.  The  cause  had  gained  adherents, 
and,  as  I  find  by  reference  to  the  papers 
of  that  day,  the  meeting  for  which  I  had 
so  long  labored  was  held  in  the  Chinese 
Museum,  on  the  evening  of  December 
23d,  1846.  Some  of  these,  my  venerable 
friends  who  sit  around  me,  probably 
remember  the  occasion,  as  I  see  among 
them  some  who  acted  as  officers.  His 
Honor,  John  Swift,  then  Mayor  of  the 
city,  presided.  Col.  James  Page,  Hons. 
Richard  Vaux,  William  M.  Meredith  and 
John  F.  Belsterling,  with  Mr.  David  S. 
Brown  and  Mr.  Charles  B.  Trego  (all  of 
whom  still  survive)  were  among  the  vice 
presidents ;  and  Senator  Wm.  A.  Crabb, 
now  deceased,  and  William  D.  Kelley 
served  as  secretaries.  The  speakers  were 


PACIFIC    RAILROAD    HISTORY. 


Messrs.  Whitney,  Josiah  Randall,  Peter 
A.  Browne  and  William  D.  Kelley. 

Mayor  Swift,  with  a  few  cautious 
words  commendatory  of  his  great  en 
terprise,  introduced  Mr.  Whitney,  who 
stated,  with  great  clearness,  his  project, 
and  the  advantages  that  would  result  from 
its  execution.  It  was,  he  said,  to  be  a 
railroad  from  Lake  Michigan  to  a  point 
on  navigable  water  in  Oregon.  He  be 
lieved  that  it  could  be  constructed  on  a 
line  about  2400  miles  in  length  ;  and  that 
he  and  his  associates  hoped  to  be  able  to 
build  it  in  twenty  years,  if  the  Government 
would  grant  sixty  miles  breadth  of  land  for 
the  whole  distance.  When  asked  how  he 
would  make  land  in  that  remote  northern 
wilderness  available  for  the  building  of  a 
road,  he  described  the  character  of  the 
climate,  and  showed  that  north  of  the 
forty-ninth  degree  of  north  latitude,  and 
in  valleys  extending  up  to  the  fifty-sixth 
degree,  the  climate  was  in  summer  as 
genial  as  that  of  Southern  Pennsylvania; 
and  asserted  emphatically  that  a  railroad 
through  that  section  would  be  less  ob 
structed  by  snow  than  one  through  Cen 
tral  New  York  or  Pennsylvania. 

His  scheme  was  to  organize  a  vast  sys 
tem  of  immigration  from  the  cities  of  the 
Eastern  States  and  from  Europe ;  the  work 
men  were  to  be  paid  in  part  in  land,  and  a 
corps  was  to  be  detailed  to  prepare  a  part 
of  each  farm  for  cultivation  the  next  year, 
so  that  when  the  laborers  of  the  second 
year  should  go  forward  they  would  leave 
behind  them  those  of  the  first  as  farmers 
and  guardsmen  of  the  road  ;  by  this  pro 
cess  many  millions  of  poor  and  oppressed 
people  would  be  lifted  to  the  dignity  of 
free-holding  American  citizens,  and  the 
great  route  for  the  commerce  of  the  world 
would  be  established  amid  the  develop 
ment  of  the  boundless  resources  of  the 
yet  new  Northwest.  (Applause.) 

At  the  close  of  an  eloquent  address, 
the  late  Josiah  Randall,  Esq.,  submitted 
a  series  of  resolutions,  from  which  I 
quote  the  following,  which  were  heartily 
adopted : 


"Whereas,  the  completion  of  a  railroad  from  Lake 
Michigan  to  the  Pacific  would  secure  the  carrying 
of  the  greater  portion  of  the  commerce  of  the  world 
to  American  enterprise,  and  open  to  it  the  markets 
of  Japan  and  the  vast  empire  of  China,  of  all  India, 
and  of  all  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  and  Indian 
Oceans,  together  with  those  of  the  Western  Coast 
of  Mexico  and  South  America; 

And,  whereas,  we  have  in  our  public  lands  a 
fund  sufficient  for  and  appropriate  to  the  construc 
tion  of  so  great  and  beneficent  a  work ;  and  the 
proposition  of  Asa  Whitney,  Esq.,  of  New  York, 
to  construct  a  railroad  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the 
Pacific  for  the  grant  of  a  strip  of  land  60  miles  wide, 
offers  a  feasible  and  cheap,  if  not  the  only  plan  for 
the  early  completion  of  an  avenue  from  ocean  to 
ocean;  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  we  cordially  approve  of  the 
project  of  Asa  Whitney,  Esq.,  for  the  construction 
of  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific,  and  respectfully  petition 
Congress  to  grant  or  set  apart,  before  the  close  of 
the  present  session,  the  lands  prayed  for  by  Mr. 
Whitney  for  this  purpose." 

It  was  also  resolved  to  send  copies  of 
the  resolutions  and  proceedings  of  the 
meeting  to  our  senators  and  members  of 
Congress,  and  to  the  Governor  of  the 
Commonwealth,  with  the  request  that  he 
would  bring  the  subject  to  the-  attention 
of  the  Legislature. 

Encouraged  by  this  success,  Mr.  Whit 
ney  visited  other  cities,  and  brought  his 
plans  before  the  people.  On  the  4th  of 
January,  1847,  ne  addressed  an  immense 
meeting  in  the  Tabernacle,  New  York, 
which  was  presided  over  by  the  mayor  and 
participated  in  by  the  leading  men  of  that 
city.  His  remarks  were  listened  to,  but 
at  their  close  a  mob  took  possession  of 
the  hall  and  denounced  the  project  as  a 
swindle,  declaring  thas  it  was  an  attempt 
on  the  part  of  a  band  of  conspirators  to 
defraud  the  people  by  inducing  the  Gov 
ernment  to  make  an  immense  grant  of 
land  for  an  impracticable  project. 

This  was  the  initial  movement  of  a 
powerful  and  organized  opposition,  before 
which  Mr.  Whitney  retired,  silenced  in 
his  effort  to  promote  one  of  the  grandest 
works  ever  conceived  by  an  American  citi 
zen.  (Applause.)  But  his  labors  had  not 
been  in  vain.  On  the  23d  of  June,  1848, 
Hon.  James  Pollock,  the  present  Direc 
tor  of  the  United  States  Mint,  who  does 
me  the  honor  to  listen  to  me,  and  who 
was  then  in  Congress  from  this  State,  as 


10 


THE  PENNSYLVANIA  CENTRAL  ROAD. 


chairman  of  a  special  committee  ap 
pointed  in  accordance  with  a  resolution 
he  had  offered,  presented  a  favorable 
report  on  the  project  of  a  Pacific  Rail 
road,  recommending  that  steps  be  taken 
to  secure  adequate  explorations  and  sur 
veys  of  the  trans-Mississippi  country. 
The  "madness"  of  the  project  was  still 
laughed  at  even  by  "grave  and  rever- 
ened"  senators;  and  it  was  not  until  the 
3d  of  March,  1853,  that  the  President 
signed  an  act  authorizing  the  Secretary 
of  War,  under  his  direction,  "to  employ 
such  portion  of  the  corps  of  topographi 
cal  engineers  and  such  other  persons  as 
he  may  deem  necessary  to  make  such 
explorations  and  surveys  as  he  may  deem 
advisable,  to  ascertain  the  most  practi 
cable  and  economical  route  for  a  railroad 
from  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  Pacific 
ocean."  Effect  was  given  to  this  resolu 
tion  at  the  earliest  day,  but  it  was  not 
until  the  2yth  of  February,  1855,  that  the 
Secretary  of  War  was  able  to  submit  to 
the  President,  for  communication  to  Con 
gress,  the  reports  of  the  several  surveying 
parties.  The  first  of  these  reports  were 
given  to  the  public  by  order  of  Congress 
in  the  latter  part  of  that  year.  They  fill 
thirteen  large  quarto  volumes,  and  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  refer  to  them  hereafter. 

The  Pennsylvania  Central  Road. 

As  experience  is  a  trusted  teacher  it  may 
be  well  to  pause  and  examine  the  condi 
tion  of  the  railroad  interests  of  the 
country  at  that  time.  At  the  close  of 
1846,  we  had  4930  miles  of  road  in  opera 
tion,  297  of  which  had  been  completed 
during  that  year.  A  system  of  con 
tinuous  railroad  had  not  been  proposed. 
Until  about  that  time  the  function  of 
railroads  had  been  assumed  to  be  to 
connect  water-courses.  Thus  the  Co 
lumbia  Railroad  constructed  by  our  State 
authorities,  connected  the  waters  of  the 
Pennsylvania  canals  with  those  of  the 
Delaware  river ;  the  Camden  and  Amboy 
road  connected  the  waters  of  the  Dela 


ware  with  those  of  the  Raritan ;  from 
Philadelphia  to  Baltimore,  until  1838, 
communication  was  by  steamboat  from 
Philadelphia  to  Newcastle,  thence  by 
rail  to  Frenchtown,  thence  by  steamboat 
to  Baltimore.  The  route  from  Boston  to 
New  York  was  by  railroad  from  Boston 
to  Providence,  and  by  steamboat  thence 
to  New  York.  These  connecting  links 
of  road  soon  developed  a  commerce,  not 
equal  to  their  capacity  but  "beyond  that 
of  available  water  conveyance,  and  thus 
demonstrated  the  necessity  of  a  more 
general  resort  to  roads.  Hence  the 
subject  of  the  expansion  of  our  system 
was  attracting  attention.  The  construc 
tion  of  the  Pennsylvania  Central  road 
was  under  consideration.  On  the  3d  of 
April,  1846,  the  Legislature,  after  much 
and  violent  controversy,  had  consented  to 
give  the  madcaps,  who  were  willing  to 
engage  in  such  a  project,  a  charter ;  but 
to  prevent  them  from  practising  fraud, 
by  peddling  the  franchise  or  holding  it 
for  sinister  purposes,  the  act  required 
that  $2,500,000  of  stock  should  be  sub 
scribed,  and  that  the  enormous  sum  of 
$250,000  should  be  paid  in  before  the 
issuing  of  letters  patent.  Most  of  you, 
doubtless,  suppose  that  the  requisite  sub 
scription  was  obtained  at  once.  No ; 
nearly  twelve  months  were  required  to 
induce  the  enterprising  men  of  Phila 
delphia  to  risk  two  millions  and  a  half  of 
dollars  in  building  a  road  over  the  Alle- 
ghanies.  "The  grades  on  the  road,"  it 
was  said,  "would  be  impracticable;  the 
heavy  snows  and  long  winter  would  render 
the  road  unavailable ;  the  project  was  a 
mad  one."  Those  only  who  remember 
the  efforts  required  to  induce  'the  people 
of  Pennsylvania  to  make  that  small  sub 
scription  would  believe  the  story,  could  it 
be  faithfully  told.  The  active  young  men 
of  this  day  would  regard  it  as  a  pungent 
satire. 

Town  meetings  were  held,  and  "block- 
committees"  were  appointed,  by  whom 
citizens  were  solicited  to  subscribe  for 
five  shares  or  three  or  one,  for  the  sake  of 


THE  PENNSYLVANIA  CENTRAL  ROAD. 


1  T 


the  experiment,  even  though  the  invest 
ment  might  be  unproductive.  Meet 
ings  of  draymen  and  porters  were  held, 
and  they  were  shown  that  if  each  would 
take  a  share,  it  would  help  the  enterprize  ; 
that  if  the  road  should  prove  a  success 
they  would  get  good  interest  on  their 
money  with  great  increase  of  business  ; 
and  if  not,  it  would  have  been  wisely 
spent  in  promoting  an  enterprise  which, 
in  the  judgment  of  many  good  men, 
promised  great  benefit  to  the  City  and 
State. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  business  men  of 
Philadelphia,  but  the  appeal  was  not  to 
them  alone ;  it  was  to  the  people  of 
Pennsylvania.  This  was  to  be  a  Penn 
sylvania  road,  and  by  the  act  of  incor 
poration  the  commissioners  for  receiving 
subscriptions  were  required  to  open  books 
at  Pittsburg,  Hollidaysburg,  Harrisburg, 
and  all  the  chief  towns  along  the  line  of 
the  road,  as  well  as  in  Philadelphia ;  and 
the  energy,  enterprise,  and  capital  of  the 
whole  State  stood  appalled  at  the  magni 
tude  and  doubtful  character  of  an  under 
taking  to  build  a  continuous  line  of 
railroad  from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburg. 

It  was  not  until  the  30th  of  March, 
1847,  but  three  days  less  than  one  year 
from  the  granting  of  the  charter  that  the 
petty  subscription  required  was  obtained, 
letters  patent  issued,  and  aboard  of  direc 
tors  organized.  And  it  remained  for  some 
time  thereafter  a  grave  question  whether 
capital  could  be  obtained  by  subscription 
or  loan  to  complete  the  road. 

But  by  the  middle  of  October,  1850,  a 
single  track  was  completed  from  Harris- 
burg,  its  then  point  of  departure,  to 
Hollidaysburg,  at  the  foot  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  mountains.  The  triumph  was  im 
mense;  and  on  the  i8th  of  October,  1850, 
the  event  was  celebrated  by  an  excursion, 
which  was  enjoyed  by  many  prominent 
business  men  and  other  friends  of  the 
road.  In  the  evening  a  meeting  was  held 
over  a  pleasant  dinner,  at  which  I  remem 
ber  my  friend,  General  Patterson  (point 
ing  to  the  general,  who  sat  on  the  stage  in 


company  with  Governor  Geary),  and  his 
friend,  old  General  Riley,  were  speakers. 
The  late  President  Buchanan  and  Joseph 
R.  Ingersoll,  Esq.,  also  deceased,  spoke. 
At  the  close  of  a  very  brilliant  speech, 
my  friend,  Morton  McMichael,  Esq., 
did  me  the  honor  to  introduce  me  as  one 
who  had  been  an  early  and  efficient 
friend  of  the  road. 

From  a  musty  copy  of  the  North  Ameri 
can  now  before  me,  I  find  that,  among 
other  things,  I  expressed  my  pride  "in 
the  fact  that  I  was  a  Philadelphian,  a 
member  of  that  community  which,  with 
aid  from  but  a  single  township — that 
of  Allegheny — had,  in  the  face  of  a  host 
of  discouragements,  embarked  their  capi 
tal,  enterprise,  energy  and  skill  in  the 
construction  of  the  magnificent  road  over 
which  we  had  travelled  that  day,  and 
which,  though  not  yet  completed,  was 
sufficiently  advanced  to  earn  in  a  few 
years,  the  means  for  its  completion, 
should  they  not  be  supplied  from  other 
sources."  And,  alluding  to  what  was 
then  my  favorite  project,  I  said  : 

"  The  English  mail  for  Calcutta  will  yet  travel 
over  our  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  and  its  iron  ribs 
will  groan  under  the  weight  of  commodities  pass 
ing  to  and  fro  between  the  250,000,000  of  people 
east  of  the  Atlantic  and  the  750,000,000  west  of 
the  Pacific.  The  discovery  of  our  Continent  by 
Columbus  was  accidental;  but  the  builders  of  this 
road  and  its  several  continuations  through  the 
Western  States  are  vindicating  his  sagacity.  He 
sailed  due  west  from  Europe  to  find  a  shorter 
route  to  the  wealth  of  India.  He  was  right;  the 
fact  that  he  encountered  a  continent  did  not  in 
crease  the  distance  between  the  points ;  it  did  but 
demonstrate  the  necessity  for  a  new  mode  of  con 
veyance.  This  the  railroad  and  locomotive  sup 
ply.  The  passage  of  the  two  oceans  by  steam  and 
the  crossing  of  our  country  on  a  railroad  will  re 
duce  the  time  requisite  for  a  voyage  from  London 
to  Canton  to  less  than  thirty  days. 

"Columbus  was  no  enthusiast.  He  looked 
calmly  and  gravely  at  facts,  and  spoke  the  words 
of  sober  wisdom  ;  and  so,  let  folly  sneer  as  it  may, 
do  those  who  speak  of  the  Pennsylvania  road  as  a 
link  in  a  chain  of  commercial  facilities  which  is  to 
girdle  the  earth."  [Applause.] 

And  again: 

"The  Mississippi  Valley  is  not  our  Western 
country,  nor  is  the  Pacific  coast  of  our  country  the 
'  far  West'  we  look  to.  Columbus  would  go  west 
to  the  Indies;  and  we  will  do  it.  The  riches  of 
our  West,  now  the  world's  East,  will  lade  our 


12 


A    QUARTER   OF    A    CENTURY 


road,  stimulate  our  agriculture,  develop  our  vast 
mineral  resources,  quicken  and  expand  our  enter 
prise,  and  drop  their  fatness  throughout  our  bor 
ders."  [Applause.] 

I  find  that,  when  somewhat  laughed  at 
for  this  outburst  of  subdued  enthusiasm, 
I  replied  by  saying : 

"  Why,  you  can  find  in  Philadelphia  to-day 
more  men  clamorous  for  a  road  from  St.  Louis  to 
San  Francisco  than  you  could  who  believed  in 
the  possibility  of  constructing  a  continuous  road 
over  the  mountains  hence  to  Pittsburg  six  years 
ago." 

This,  you  will  remember,  was  after  the 
acquisition  of  California  and  the  dis 
covery  of  her  gold-fields. 

A  Quarter  of  a  Century. 

But  to  return  to  1846,  a  quarter  of 
a  century  ago.  Let  no  man  think  that 
the  Pacific  Railroad  then  projected  was 
to  run  to  San  Francisco,  or  elsewhere 
than  to  the  heart  of  the  unorganized 
Territory  of  Oregon,  which  extended 
from  the  42d  to  the  49th  parallel  of  lati 
tude,  and  embraced  what  is  now  the 
State  of  Oregon  and  Washington  Terri 
tory,  into  which  no  settlers  had  yet  gone. 

There  was  then  no  San  Francisco. 
Not  a  cabin  or  hut  stood  within  the  now 
corporate  limits  of  that  beautiful  and 
prosperous  city.  California,  Nevada, 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  were  still 
Mexican  territory.  Neither  science  nor 
observation  had  detected  the  deposits  of 
gold  and  silver,  or  the  agricultural  capa 
bilities  of  that  vast  region  of  country. 
The  great  railroad  centre  of  the  West,  Chi 
cago,  had  not  yet  come  into  public  view. 
The  less  than  10,000  people  who  had 
gathered  at  the  confluence  of  the  Chicago 
river  with  Lake  Michigan  had  no  presenti 
ment  that  the  swamp  in  which  they  dwelt 
would,  in  less  than  twenty  years,  be  filled 
up  and  raised  nearly  twenty  feet,  to  provide 
drainage  for  the  streets  of  the  most  enter 
prising  and  remarkable  city  in  the  world, 
of  its  age.  Michigan  then  had  a  popu 
lation  of  less  than  250,000,  and  Wisconsin 
and  Iowa  each  but  100,000;  and  civili 
zation  had  not  yet  penetrated  the  wide 


region  then  known  as  Minnesota  territory, 
where  the  census  takers,  four  years  later, 
found  but  6,038  people.  Four  years  later 
there  were  but  91,635  people  in  California, 
which  had  then  been  ceded  to  us  by 
Mexico,  and  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a 
State,  and  whose  recently  discovered 
deposits  of  gold  had  attracted  immigrants 
from  every  clime.  There  was  no  govern 
ment  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  that  whole 
fertile  region  being  in  possession  of  the 
Indian  and  the  buffalo.  The  name  of 
that  busy  centre  of  river  and  railroad 
commerce,  Omaha,  had  not  been  heard 
by  English-speaking  people,  and  the  vast 
mineral,  grazing  and  agricultural  region 
through  which  the  Union  and  Central 
Pacific  railroad  is  now  doing  a  profit-, 
able  and  rapidly  increasing  business,  was 
noted  by  geographers  as  the  "Great 
American  Desert."  Philadelphia  had 
no  railroad  connection  with  Pittsburg, 
Pittsburg  none  with  Cincinnati  or  Chi 
cago,  nor  any  of  these  with  St.  Louis. 
The  northwestern  part  of  our  State  was 
known  as  the  "wild-cat  country,"  in 
which  it  was  regarded  as  a  misfortune  to 
own  land  unless  it  was  timbered  and  on 
the  banks  of  a  mountain  stream ;  and 
properties  in  that  wide  section  in  which 
coal  and  petroleum  have  since  been 
discovered  were  sold  every  few  years  for 
taxes,  because  people  could  not  afford  to 
own  land  in  such  a  cold,  mountainous, 
unproductive  and  inaccessible  country. 
[Laughter  and  applause.] 

Surely  the  world  moves  and  time  does 
work  wonders.  What  railroads  we  have 
you  know ;  what  railroads  we  are  to  have 
you  only  begin  to  suspect.  In  Europe,  dur 
ing  this  quarter  of  a  century,  dynasties  and 
the  boundaries  of  empires  have  changed, 
but  the  increase  of  population  has  been 
scarcely  perceptible.  The  oppressions  of 
the  feudal  past  linger  there,  and  cannot 
be  shaken  off.  But  here,  where  man  is 
free,  and  nature  offers  boundless  returns 
to  enterprise,  broad  empires  have  risen, 
embracing  towns,  cities,  and  states ;  and 
millions  of  people  born  in  many  lands 


THE    NORTHERN    PACIFIC    RAILROAD. 


with  poverty  and  oppression  as  their  only 
birthright,  are  now,  as  American  citizens, 
enjoying  all  the  comforts  and  refinements 
of  civilization,  and  with  capital  rivaling 
that  of  European  princes,  originating  and 
pressing  forward  great  enterprises  which 
are  in  the  next  quarter  of  a  century 
to  work  more  marvellous  changes  than 
any  I  have  alluded  to.  Yes,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  were  supernal  power  to  unfold 
to  our  view  our  country  as  it  shall  be  a 
quarter  of  a  century  hence,  the  most  far- 
seeing  and  sanguine  of  us  would  regard 
the  reality  as  a  magnificent  delusion.  Our 
extension  of  territory  and  law,  great  as  it 
has  been,  is  of  small  consequence  in  com 
parison  with  the  achievements  of  mind  in 
the  empire  of  science  and  art,  whereby 
man  is  enabled  to  produce  ten-fold,  and  in 
many  departments  of  productive  industry, 
a  hundred-fold  as  much  as  he  could 
twenty-five  years  ago  by  the  same  amount 
of  labor.  New  roads  are  to  be  built ;  new 
towns,  cities  and  states  to  be  created  ; 
new  resources  developed  ;  and  the  slug 
gish  people  of  the  Orient  are  to  be 
awakened  to  their  own  interests  and 
induced  to  contribute  their  vast  share 
to  the  progress  and  commerce  of  the 
world.  The  vision  that  filled  the  soul 
of  Columbus  was  a  grand  one ;  but  that 
which  opens  to  our  view,  and  should  pos 
sess  and  animate  us,  is  as  much  grander 
and  more  beneficent  as  the  civilization 
and  arts  of  the  close  of  the  i9th  are 
superior  to  those  of  the  dawning  days 
of  the  1 4th  century. 

The  Northern  Pacific  Railroad. 

I  regard  the  construction  of  the  North 
ern  Pacific  Railroad  as  chief  among  the 
great  works  of  the  future,  and  believe 
that  while  it  will  be  a  magnificent  monu 
ment  to  its  builders  and  promoters,  and 
abundantly  reward  their  enterprise  and 
labor,  its  construction  will  add  incon 
ceivably  to  the  wealth,  power  and  influ 
ence  of  the  nation.  It  will  open  to 


settlement  under  the  homestead  and 
pre-emption  laws  a  territory  that  would 
accommodate  all  the  peasantry  of  Europe, 
and,  by  the  development  of  its  boundless 
and  varied  mineral  and  agricultural  re 
sources,  lift  millions  of  men  from  poverty 
to  wealth,  and  enable  many  who  are 
burdens  upon  society  to  bless  it  by  their 
prosperity.  [Applause.] 

These  are  well  considered  convictions. 
If  I  am  mistaken,  I  have,  as  I  have  shown 
you,  cherished  the  delusion  through  the 
greater  part  of  my  manhood ;  and  the 
study  of  many  authorities,  much  inter 
course  with  men,  and  extended  travel 
have  only  served  to  confirm  it.  Nor  do 
I  now  express  them  for  the  first  time.  On 
the  26th  of  April,  1866,  a  bill  proposing 
to  authorize  the  government  to  aid  in  the 
construction  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail 
road  was  under  consideration  by  Con 
gress,  and  I  participated  in  the  discussion. 
By  reference  to  the  Globe,  I  find,  that  after 
having  characterized  the  construction  of 
the  road  as  a  matter  of  not  only  Na 
tional,  but  world-wide  importance,  I  said : 

"  From  Lake  Superior  to  Puget  Sound !  A 
railroad  stretching  from  Lake  Superior  to  Puget 
Sound,  a  distance  of  1800  miles!  To  open  to 
civilization  an  empire  longer  and  broader  than 
Western  Europe,  from  the  southern  vinelands  of 
sunny  Spain  on  the  one  hand  to  the  hyperborean 
forests  of  Norway  on  the  other !  Yes,  sir ;  an 
empire  equal  in  extent  to  England,  Ireland,  Scot 
land,  France,  Belgium,  the  German  States,  Austria, 
Holland,  Italy,  Switzerland,  Denmark,  Sweden, 
Norway,  Spain  and  Portugal. 

"We  fail,  Mr.  Speaker,  to  understand  our  re 
lations  to  the  age  in  which  we  live  and  our  duties 
to  mankind,  because  we  fail  to  appreciate  the 
grand  dimensions  and  unimagined  resources  of 
our  country.  We  would  regard  ourselves  as 
giants  did  we  estimate  ourselves  in  proportion  to 
possessions  so  grand  in  a  country  so  abounding  in 
multiform  resources,  so  undeveloped,  and  so 
sparsely  settled. 

'•  The  region  through  which  it  is  proposed  to 
construct  this  road,  exceeding  in  extent  all  the 
countries  I  have  named,  also  embodies  more 
mineral  wealth  than  they  all  combined  ever  pos 
sessed.  But  what  is  its  condition  ?  It  is  a  wil 
derness.  Almost  every  acre  of  it  is  still  innocent 
of  the  tread  of  a  tax  collector.  It  yields  the 
Government  no  revenue.  Along  the  Pacific  coast 
a  few  thriving  villages  dot  it.  Some  of  them  will 
one  day  be  great  cities,  but  they  are  now  on  the 
borders  of  a  vast  wilderness." 


COMPARED    WITH    OTHER   ROUTES. 


Compared  with  Other  Routes. 

But  there  are  those  who,  while  admitting 
the  vast  extent  and  wonderful  resources  of 
the  country,  assert  that  it  is  unfit  for  occu 
pancy  by  communities  by  reason  of  its  high 
latitude  and  the  altitude  of  its  mountains. 
They  present  all  the  objections  that  were 
made  to  the  construction  of  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Railroad.  "The  mountains  are 
too  high,"  "the  snows  are  too  deep, 
and  lie  too  long!"  Are  not  these  objec 
tions  as  groundless  in  this  case  as  they 
were  in  that  ?  Let  us  see.  Government 
surveys  and  other  observations  show, 
beyond  reasonable  question,  that  a  rail 
road  between  the  46th  and  49th  parallels 
will  have  a  better  route  than  any  other 
road  north  of  the  32d  degree,  which 
line  has  the  drawback  of  a  summer  climate 
that  is  so  nearly  tropical  as  to  interfere 
with  travel  and  the  general  transit  of 
goods.  I  am  convinced  that  the  country 
through  which  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail 
road  is  to  pass  will,  twenty-five  years 
hence,  contain  double  the  population  that 
will  then  be  found  along  the  line  of  the 
road  which  connects  Omaha  and  Sacra 
mento.  Indeed  I  believe  I  would  be 
within  the  bounds  of  reasonable  prediction 
if  I  made  my  proposition  embrace  the 
continuation  of  the  road  from  the  City  of 
Sacramento  to  San  Francisco,  notwith 
standing  the  wondrous  attractions  Cali 
fornia  presents  to  those  who  are  seeking  a 
new  home  and  more  profitable  field  for 
enterprise. 

The  Central  route  must  create  its  way 
traffic;  none  awaited  its  construction. 
From  Omaha  to  Sacramento  not  a  navi 
gable  stream  crosses  the  route  of  the 
Union  and  Central  road ;  nor  does  one 
approach  it.  Let  me  not  be  understood 
as  disparaging  the  value  of  this  road, 
or  as  intimating  that  it  is  not  already 
doing  a  profitable  business,  or  that  it 
will  not,  as  every  other  railroad  in  this 
country  has  done,  create  a  constantly 
increasing  volume  of  business  that  will 
enable  it  to  rapidly  decrease  its  rates 


for  freight  and  travel,  while  increasing 
its  income  and  net  profits.  Indeed  it  is 
already  doing  this,  and  its  present  charges 
for  freight  and  travel  compare  very  favor 
ably  with  those  of  1869. 

Yes,  it  has  its  way  business  to  create, 
and  is  doing  it  rapidly.  Witness  the 
two  branch  roads  already  constructed, 
one  from  Denver  to  Cheyenne,  and  the 
other  from  Salt  Lake  City  to  Ogden. 
Before  the  main  line  was  built,  who 
dreamed  of  railroads  along  either  of  those 
valleys?  Behold,  also,  the  enormous  de 
velopment  of  the  coal  and  iron  fields  at 
Evanston,  a  little  west  of  Cheyenne,  and 
more  than  500  miles  west  of  Omaha. 
Two  years  ago  the  fact  was  proudly 
announced  that  both  coal  and  iron  had 
been  discovered  at  Evanston ;  and  now 
the  place  is  marked  by  the  smoke  and  din 
of  forges,  furnaces,  rolling-mills,  machine 
shops,  and  preparations  are  making  for 
the  manufacture  of  Bessemer  steel  rails, 
the  construction  of  the  works  having 
been  commenced.  [Applause.] 

Look,  too,  at  the  marvellous  develop 
ment  by  "gentile"  hands  of  the  silver 
mines  in  southern  Utah,  to  which  the 
Mormons,  Brigham  Young  having  driven 
the  first  spike  about  a  fortnight  ago,  are 
extending  their  branch  road  in  order  to 
carry  silver  ore,  the  transportation  of 
which  from  the  mines  to  Swansea,  Eng 
land,  taxes  it  $40  a  ton.  This  tax  will 
be  saved  when  some  American  shall  be 
enterprising  enough  to  put  up  smelting 
works  in  a  country  in  which  coal  and 
rich  ores  abound.  Yes,  British  vessels 
coming  to  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
with  salt  or  iron  return  freighted  with 
the  ores  of  southern  Utah,  because  we 
have  not  the  enterprise  to  smelt  it. 

Look,  again,  at  the  development  of 
the  wool  trade.  In  many  of  .the  valleys 
along  the  line  of  the  Central  and  Union 
road  there  are  flocks  numbering  not  thirty, 
not  fifty,  not  a  hundred  sheep,  as  in  the 
old  States,  but  thousands ;  and  some  flocks 
numbering  more  than  ten  thousand  head 
now  range  valleys  in  the  very  heart  of  the 


GROWTH    OF    RAILROAD    TRAFFIC. 


"Great  American  Desert,"  where  it  was 
supposed  civilization  would  never  find  an 
abode. 

What  a  field  for  genius,  enterprise  and 
industry !  It  will,  at  no  distant  day, 
swarm  with  men  of  grit.  There  are  thou 
sands  of  young  men  in  this  city  filling 
small  offices,  or  in  some  other  way 
picking  up  a  precarious  living,  getting 
through  the  world  somehow,  never  know 
ing  whether  both  ends  will  meet  at  the  end 
of  any  month,  who,  were  they  to  go  to  this 
country,  carrying  with  them  the  know 
ledge  gained  in  our  furnaces,  machine 
shops  or  factories,  would  in  a  few  years 
find  themselves  at  the  head  of  large  estab 
lishments  and  commanding  hundreds  of 
employees.  [Applause.]  I  rejoice  in  the 
fact  that  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
is  organizing  one-armed  and  one-legged 
soldiers  to  go  and  settle  in  colonies  upon 
the  public  lands,  on  the  theory  that  their 
wives  and  children  will  share  their  labors 
in  securing  a  homestead  and  honest  inde 
pendence.  The  scheme  is  as  judicious  as 
it  is  noble,  and  the  poor  disabled  fellows 
will,  I  doubt  not,  in  a  few  years  write  back 
to  their  less  energetic  but  unmutilated 
comrades  to  come  and  work  for  and  be 
fed  and  clothed  by  them.  [Laughter  and 
applause.] 

These  branch  roads  and  expanding 
industries  are  but  some  of  the  many  pre 
cursors  and  sure  pledges  of  the  immense 
sources  of  traffic  that  are  to  rise  along  a 
road,  the  drinking  water  for  many  of 
whose  agents,  as  well  as  for  the  supply  of 
many  of  its  engines,  is  brought  in  tanks 
over  alkaline  plains  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  and  one  of  the  summits  of  which, 
at  Sherman,  is  a  mile  and  a-half  above  the 
topmost  spire  of  Philadelphia,  and  3285 
feet  higher  than  the  most  elevated  sum 
mit  on  the  Northern  road, — that  at  Deer 
Lodge  Pass. 

Growth  of  Railroad  Traffic. 

That  this  road  will  create  business  for 
itself,  and  speedily  return  the  capital 
embarked  in  its  construction  I  am  abun 


dantly  persuaded.  This  opinion  is  con 
firmed  by  the  highest  authority  on  such 
questions  known  to  railroad  men  in  this 
country,  H.  V.  Poor,  Esq.,  who,  in  his 
admirable  sketch  of  the  railroads  of  the 
United  States,  published  last  year,  says : 

"  It  is  safe  to  estimate  that  the  railroad  tonnage 
of  the  country  would  duplicate  itself  as  often  as 
once  in  ten  years,  were  there  no  increase  of  line 
or  population,  from  the  progress  made  in  its  indus 
tries  and  in  the  mechanic  arts." 

Mr.  Poor  amply  sustains  this  proposi 
tion  by  facts  deduced  from  the  railroad 
history  of  the  country,  and  says  : 

"  Our  means  will  increase  just  in  the  degree  in 
which  we  render  available  the  wealth  that  now 
lies  dormant  in  our  soil." 

Speaking  of  the  year  1869,  he  says: 

"  The  tonnage  traffic  of  the  railroads  constructed 
the  past  year,  at  only  one  thousand  tons  to  the 
mile,  will  equal  five  million  tons,  having  a  value 
of  $750,000,000!  Every  road  constructed  adds 
five  times  its  value  to  the  aggregate  value  of  the 
property  of  the  country.  The  cost  of  the  works 
constructed  the  past  year  will  equal  at  least 
$  1 50,000,000.  The  increased  value,  consequently, 
of  property  due  to  the  construction  will  equal 
$600,000,000." 

These  observations  of  Mr.  Poor  are 
specially  applicable  to  the  Northern 
Pacific  Road,  the  construction  of  which 
will  not  only  create  an  immense  vol 
ume  of  through  travel,  but  develop  a 
region  not  exceeded  in  native  wealth  by 
any  equal  area  on  the  face  of  the  globe ; 
which  abounds  in  the  precious  and  other 
metals,  in  wheat-lands  and  lumber  forests, 
and  embraces  the  natural  home  of  the 
sheep  and  goat,  and  grazing  fields  in 
which  herds  of  cattle  large  enough  to 
supply  our  entire  market,  may  graze 
throughout  the  year,  growing  and  fatten 
ing  upon  natural  grasses,  which  in  the 
dry  atmosphere  of  the  country,  do  not 
decompose  as  ours  do  when  exposed  to 
the  weather,  but  cure  where  they  grow, 
and  feed  herds  of  buffalo,  elk,  antelope 
and  mountain  sheep  the  year  round. 

The  New  Northwest. 

Minnesota,  through  which  the  road 
will  be  completed  by  October,  from 
Lake  Superior  to  the  Red  river,  266  miles, 


i6 


THE    NEW    NORTHWEST. A    GENIAL    CLIMATE. 


is  the  great  wheat  field  of  our  country. 
It  is  a  land  of  lakes  and  rivers,  of  forest 
and  prairie.  Its  farmers  are  prosperous 
and  contented.  Its  population  numbered 
6077  m  ^SQ;  had  swollen  to  172,022  by 
1860;  and  was  found  to  be  436,057  in 
1870.  The  value  of  its  farm  products 
as  reported  by  the  census  of  1870  was 
$33,350,923;  the  cash  value  of  its  farms 
$97,621,691 ;  and  its  production  of  wheat 
during  1869  wasabout  19, 000,000  bushels. 
It  contains  (listen,  young  men  who  are 
working  for  wages,)  53,459,840  acres,  of 
which  but  3,637,671  are  occupied.  The 
remaining  50,000,000  await  your  com 
ing  for  their  development.  [Applause.] 
It  is  not  yet  fourteen  years  since  the  lum 
bermen  of  Minnesota  were  fed  on  wheat 
imported  from  other  States.  Yet  the 
wheat  crop  raised  during  1870,  from  the 
small  part  of  the  State  then  occupied,  is 
believed  to  have  been  not  less  than 
30,000,000  bushels.  Time  will  not  per 
mit  me  even  to  indicate  the  immense 
resources  of  this  State  in  lumber,  iron, 
slate,  and  other  commodities,  that  bear 
transportation ;  and  I  leave  Minnesota 
with  the  remark  that  when  the  winter 
traveler  westward  on  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad,  shall  leave  her  limits  and  cross 
the  Red  river  of  the  North,  he  will  leave 
behind  him  the  coldest  part  of  the  road 
and  that  most  liable  to  obstruction  by 
snow.  The  only  other  point  at  which  he 
will,  even  under  exceptional  circumstan 
ces,  meet  with  as  great  a  depression  of  the 
mercury  will  be  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Fort  Stevenson,  in  Central  Dakota. 

A  Genial  Climate. 

How,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  shall  I 
help  you  to  understand  something  about 
the  climate  of  the  country  west  of  Min 
nesota?  To  us  of  the  East  it  seems  in 
credible  that  the  temperature  of  the 
mountains,  along  a  line  running  between 
the  47th  and  49th  parallels  should  be  so 
mild ;  yet  so  it  is ;  and  the  climate  of 
Washington  Territory,  along  the  49th 
parallel,  is  more  equable  the  year  round, 


and  milder  in  winter  than  that  of  Phila 
delphia  or  Baltimore.  Indeed,  the  mean 
temperature  at  Olympia,  at  the  head  of 
Puget  Sound,  is  that  of  Norfolk,  Va.,  but 
the  dwellers  on  the  Sound  are  strangers 
alike  to  the  extreme  heat  of  a  Virginia 
summer  and  the  extreme  cold  of  its  win 
ter.  There  cattle  are  not  housed  at  any 
season,  and  thrive  upon  the  grasses  they 
find  on  the  plains.  In  the  western  valleys 
of  Washington  Territory,  winter  is  un 
known.  Snow  comes  occasionally  to  re 
mind  settlers  of  what  they  used  to  see 
in  the  States  of  the  East ;  but  it  never 
lies.  But  once  since  1847,  when  the 
first  settlements  were  made,  have  cattle 
been  deprived  by  snow  for  three  consecu 
tive  days,  of  the  natural  pasture  furnished 
throughout  the  winter  months  west  of  the 
mountains  in  Washington  Territory  and 
Oregon. 

The  winter  climate  upon  the  mountains 
of  Idaho,  Montana  and  Dakota  is  more 
severe  ;  but  in  their  valleys  the  buffalo, 
elk  and  antelope  have  been  accustomed 
to  winter  ;  and  domestic  cattle,  worn  by 
labor  in  the  service  of  exploring  expedi 
tions  and  transportation  companies,  are 
turned  into  the  valleys  and  herded,  and 
come  out  in  the  spring  fat  and  ready  for 
another  tour  of  duty.  This  is  so  incon 
sistent  with  our  experience,  that  I  beg 
leave  to  fortify  the  statement  with  a  sin 
gle  authority,  the  equal  to  which  I  could 
produce  by  scores.  I  will,  however,  con 
tent  myself  with  a  brief  extract  from  the 
report  of  explorations  of  the  Yellowstone, 
made  by  Gen.  Reynolds,  of  the  Engineer 
Corps  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  who  wintered, 
in  1860,  in  the  valley  of  Deer  Creek, 
in  which  the  Northern  Pacific  Road  will 
attain  its  greatest  elevation  and  cross  the 
Rocky  Mountains  On  this  subject  he  says : 

"  Throughout  the  whole  of  the  season's  march, 
the  subsistence  of  our  animals  had  been  obtained 
by  grazing  after  we  had  reached  camp  in  the  after 
noon,  and  for  an  hour  or  two  between  the  dawn  of 
day  and  our  time  of  starting.  The  consequence 
was  that  when  we  reached  our  winter  quarters 
there  were  but  few  animals  in  the  train  that  were 
in  a  condition  to  have  continued  the  march  with 
out  a  generous  grain  diet.  Poorer  and  more  broken 


WOOL   AND    BEET-ROOT    SUGAR. 


down  creatures  it  would  be  difficult  to  find.  In 
the  spring  all  were  in  as  fine  condition  for  com 
mencing  another  season's  work  as  could  be  desired. 
A  greater  change  in  their  appearance  could  not 
have  been  produced,  even  if  they  had  been  grain- 
fed  and  stable-housed  all  winter.  Only  one  was 
lost,  the  furious  storm  of  December  coming  on  be 
fore  it  had  gained  sufficient  strength  to  endure  it. 
This  fact i  that  seventy  exhausted  animals  turned 
out  to  winter  on  the  plains  on  the  first  of  Novem 
ber,  came  oztt  in  the  best  condition,  and  with  the 
loss  of  but  one,  is  the  most  forcible  commentary  I 
can  make  on  the  quality  of  the  grass  and  the  char 
acter  of  the  winter" 

This  seems  incredible,  but  many  de 
grees  to  the  north  of  our  territories  are 
immense  valleys,  which,  if  the  testimony 
of  British  officers,  civil  and  military,  of 
missionaries  and  settlers  who  have  dwelt 
there  for  years,  may  be  believed,  rival 
Minnesota  in  wheat-projducing  capacity, 
and  eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  Ter 
ritory  in  the  mildness  of  their  mean  tem 
perature.  Exploration  and  settlement 
have  abolished  "The  Great  American 
Desert,"  of  which  these  territories  formed 
a  conspicuous  part,  and  it  no  longer  finds 
a  place  on  maps.  And  the  Mormons 
have  demonstrated  that  by  conducting 
the  melting  snow  of  the  mountains  to  the 
foot-hills  and  valleys,  the  whole  region  can 
be  made  to  bloom  as  the  rose,  and  bear 
crops  of  cereals,  roots  and  fruit  equal  to 
those  yielded  by  the  best  farms  in  the 
choice  valleys  of  Pennsylvania. 

Wool  and  Beet-Root  Sugar. 

Since  these  apparently  inhospitable 
regions  have  been  penetrated  by  rail 
roads,  and  mining  adventure  has  created 
settlements  up  even  to  the  northern  boun 
dary  of  Dakota,  Montana  and  Idaho,  we 
are  discovering  why  we  have  not  suc 
ceeded  in  raising  wool,  and  why  we  are 
still,  while  boasting  of  our  agricultural 
productions,  dependent  upon  non-manu 
facturing  countries  which  are  not  famed 
for  their  agricultural  resources  or  skill,  for 
our  supply  of  wool.  The  reason  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  we  have  not  carried  flocks 
to  those  portions  of  our  country  which 
are  pre-eminently  adapted  to  the  support 
of  wool-bearing  animals. 

Mountainous  and  volcanic  as  are  our 


territories,  which  extend  from  the  32d  to 
the  49th  parallel,  they  are  peculiarly 
adapted  to  sheep  culture.  With  their 
settlement  we  shall  become  the  greatest 
wool-producing  country  of  the  world, 
though  our  present  production  gives  but 
small  promise  of  such  a  result.  The 
sources  and  amount  of  the  wool-clip  of 
1868  were  in  round  figures  about  as  fol 
lows  : 

POUNDS. 

British  North  American 

Provinces,     ....  10,000,000 
Australia,  South  Amer 
ica,  and  Africa,       .     .  76,000,000 
United  States,      ....  100,000,000 
Spain,  Portugal  and  Italy,   .  119,000,000 

France, 123,000,000 

European  Russia,       .     .     .  125,000,000 

Germany,   ......  200,000,000 

Great  Britain,       ....  260,000,000 

Asia, 470,000,000 

Thus  it  appears  that  Asia,  Australia, 
Africa  and  South  America,  which  furnish 
no  such  markets  for  mutton  as  the  com 
mercial  and  manufacturing  centres  of  Eu 
rope  and  this  country,  and  where  sheep 
must  be  raised  for  the  wool  alone,  are  its 
great  producers.  Why  is  wool  chief 
among  the  staple  exports  of  South  Amer 
ica?  Because  her  pampas  present  the 
same  conditions  as  our  territories.  Why 
has  Australia  built  up  a  great  city  more 
by  its  wool  trade  than  its  gold?  It  is  be 
cause  her  sheep  walks  are  dry  and  covered 
with  bunch  grass,  which  cures  itself  in  the 
field  as  is  the  case  in  our  territories.  Why 
does  Asia  produce  more  wool  than  Great 
Britain  and  Germany  together,  and  al 
most  as  much  as  Great  Britain,  Germany 
and  the  United  States?  It  is  because  the 
grasses  of  the  elevated  plains  on  which  her 
countless  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  range 
are  the  same  nutritious,  aromatic  grasses 
upon  which  the  elk,  the  buffalo  and  the 
mountain  sheep  have  fed  through  all  time 
upon  "The  Great  American  Desert"  of 
America.  [Applause.] 

Under  the  impulse  given  to  this  inter 
est  by  the  Union  and  Central  road,  flocks 
numbering  thousands,  collected  in  Illi- 


i8 


WOOL    AND    BEET-ROOT    SUGAR. 


nois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  and  more  eastern 
States  have  been  transferred  to  such  plains 
and  valleys  as  are  accessible  by  the  road, 
and  where  the  expense  of  raising  sheep  is 
but  the  cost  of  the  first  flock  and  of 
herding.  There  the  finest  wool  may  be 
produced,  and  with  increasing  railroad 
facilities,  mining,  manufacturing,  and 
commercial  centers  will  furnish  markets 
for  mutton,  and  add  to  the  wool  grower's 
profits.  To  say  that  the  wool-clip  of  the 
United  States,  as  shown  by  the  census  of 
1880.  will  exceed  that  of  Great  Britain  is 
not  to  offer  a  prediction,  but  to  assert  a 
foregone  conclusion ;  and  it  is  also  safe 
to  say  that  the  clip  of  that  year  will  em 
brace  not  only  wool  of  all  grades  of  sheep, 
but  of  the  Cashmere,  Angora  and  other 
goats,  the  value  of  whose  hair  is  so  well 
known  to  manufacturers  and  merchants. 
But  more  than  this,  remembering  the 
rapidity  with  which  flocks  increase,  I 
predict  that  at  an  early  day  our  wool 
clip  will  equal  that  of  Asia,*  which  will 


*  On  the  day  after  the  delivery  of  the  text,  my 
attention  was  invited  to  the  following  striking  con 
firmation  of  my  views  furnished  by  M.  Alcan,  Pro 
fessor  of  Spinning  and  Weaving  at  the  Conserva 
toire  Imperial  des  Arts,  &c. 

APPROXIMATE    PRODUCTION    OF   WOOLS    IN    1 866. 

[Translated  from  Alcan's  "  Etudes  sur  les  Arts 
Textile  a  1'Exposition  Universalle  de  1867"  for 
the  April  number  of  the  Bulletin  of  the  National 
Association  of  Wool  Manufacturers.] 

"  The  quantity  of  the  production  of  wools  in 
weight  may  be  reckoned  approximately  by  the 
number  of  sheep  in  each  country.  We  estimate 
the  sheep  at  the  numbers  indicated  in  the  follow 
ing  table  : 

NO.  OF  SHEEP. 


France,  .... 
Algeria,           ..        . 
Russia,   .          .         . 
England,         .-        .      '   .>  . 
Austria,            .          .     '.    , 
Prussia,  Zollverein, 
Ottoman  Empire,     .        •  . 
Australia,         .         .         .. 
Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
New  Zealand, 
The  Equator  or  la  Plata, 
Spain,     .         .  ,       .•        j 

.     30,000,000 
10,000,000 
.     54,000,000 
.     26,376,000 
.     27,000,090 
.     24,000,000 
.     32,000,000 
.     35,000,000 
.     12,000,000 
.     15,000,000 
.     30,000,000 
.     20,000,090 

Italy,       .         .         .         .  ' 
Belgium, 
The  Low  Countries, 
Portugal, 

8,500,000 
^         .       3,000,000 
1,500,000 
2,417,000 

insure  us  supremacy  in  the  manufacture 
of  the  entire  range  of  woolen  and  worsted 
goods. 

And  with  this  increased  production  of 
wool,  will  come  another  great  industry. 
You  will  question  my  judgment  when  I 
tell  you  that  the  territory  along  the  46th, 
47th,  48th  and  49th  degrees  of  latitude 
high  up  the  mountain  sides  is  to  be  a 
great  sugar-producing  country.  Yet  as 
sure  as  that  the  world  moves  and  science 
helps  man  to  supply  his  wants  cheaply, 
the  country  along  the  routes  of  the  Union 
and  Central  and  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroads  will  in  a  few  years  produce  im 
mense  quantities  of  sugar.  Of  course,  I 
speak  of  beet-root  sugar,  the  manufacture 
of  which  will  thrive  not  only  along  our 
northern  boundary,  but  in  the  more  north 
ern  settlements  of  the  Assineboine  and 
Saskatchewan  valleys  as  it  does  in  Russia, 
Sweden  and  Norway ;  as  it  is  already  do 
ing  in  California,  Illinois  and  Wisconsin, 
and  will  do  in  all  of  the  States  of  the 
Northwest.  Many  causes  conspire  to 
make  the  introduction  of  this  industry 
into  our  country  a  necessity ;  and  in  the 
region  of  cheap  land,  abundant  fuel  and 
pure  water  from  the  mountain  snows,  in 
which  the  cost  of  transportation  more 
than  doubles  the  price  of  cane  sugar,  it 
must  find  an  early  and  extensive  develop 
ment. 

To  show  that  these  views  are  not  new 
or  strained,  permit  me  to  bring  to  your 


Total, 


330.783.000 


"  Remarks  upon  the  numbers  of  the  preceding 
table. — If  we  compare  the  present  number  of  sheep 
as  indicated  in  the  preceding  table  with  the  num 
bers  heretofore  given  by  us,  it  will  not  be  difficult 
to  recognize  that  while  the  production  of  sheep 
has  decreased  or  remained  stationary  in  Europe, 
it  has  prodigiously  developed  itself  in  the  new 
countries  beyond  the  ocean.  Thus,  for  example, 
the  number  of  wool-bearing  animals  has  diminished 
in  England,  in  Spain,  and  even  in  France,  if  we 
do  not  include  Algeria ;  and  it  has  remained 
nearly  stationary  in  the  different  parts  of  Germany. 
On  the  contrary,  the  development  exhibits  an 
enormous  progression  at  the  Cape,  in  Australia, 
and,  above  all,  in  La  Plata.  In  seven  years,  from 
1860  to  1867,  the  production  has  been  raised 
nearly  1 08  per  cent,  for  the  first  of  these  coun 
tries,  nearly  100  per  cent,  for  the  second,  and  268 
per  cent,  for  the  third. 


MONTANA LIEUT.    DOANE's    REPORT. 


notice  a  letter  I  had  the  honor  to  ad 
dress  to  Dr.  Latham,  a  cultivated  and 
intelligent  gentleman,  who,  after  spend 
ing  years  in  the  Territories,  devoted  last 
winter  to  bringing  their  resources  to  the 
attention  of  the  wool -growers  and  woolen 
manufacturers  of  the  Eastern  States  ; 

"  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  Dec.   18,  1870. 
"  DR.  H.  LATHAM, 

"  LARAMIE, 

Wyoming  Territory. 

"  DEAR  SIR. — I  must  admit  that  I  thought  some 
of  the  statements  you  made  when  I  met  you  at 
Laramie,  and  you  were  kind  enough  to  accompany 
us  eastward  were  exaggerated ;  but  subsequent  ob 
servation  and  study  have  satisfied  me  that  you  did 
not  fully  indicate  the  capacity  of  the  territories  for 
varied  production  and  the  sustenance  of  a  numer 
ous  and  prosperous  population. 

"  Two  industries,  each  of  primary  importance  to 
the  country,  should  be  introduced  at  an  early  day 
because  both  will  find  there,  the  conditions  under 
which  they  may  be  brought  almost  immediately  to 
absolute  perfection.  I  mean  the  growth  of  wool, 
both  from  the  Angora  and  Cashmere  goats  and 
sheep,  and  the  production  of  beet-root  sugar.  For 
the  latter,  Grant  in  his  admirable  little  book, 
says  the  primary  essentials  are  cheap  land  and  fuel 
and  pure  water.  All  these  you  have  wherever  the 
melting  snow  of  the  mountains  can  be  carried  for 
irrigation,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  all  your 
mountain  streams.  Your  natural  grasses  and 
aromatic  herbage  are  identical  with  those  of  the 
great  sheep-fields  of  Asia  and  Australia;  and 
should  you  establish  the  production  of  the  beet, 
and  the  manufacture  of  sugar  on  a  large  scale,  you 
will  find,  as  it  has  been  found  everywhere  else, 
that  three  tons  of  the  refuse  beet,  from  which  the 
saccharine  matter  has  been  expressed,  will  be 
equivalent  to  two  tons  of  the  best  hay  in  sustain 
ing  and  fattening  sheep  and  cattle.  It,  therefore, 
seems  to  me  that  you  will  render  a  very  important 
service,  not  only  to  your  own  section,  but  to  the 
country  at  large,  if,  by  making  known  these  pecu 
liar  resources  you  promote  the  establishment  of 
two  such  vital  industries.  Either  of  them  will 
doubtless  succeed  if  undertaken  by  proper  hands ; 
but  both  should  be  established,  as  each  will  con 
tribute  to  the  success  of  the  other. 

"Again  thanking  you  for  the  important  infor 
mation  you  have  given  me,  and  wishing  you 
abundant  success  in  your  efforts  to  promote  the 
development  of  this  extended  and  interesting  por 
tion  of  our  country,  I  remain 

"  Yours,  very  truly, 

"WM.  D.  KELLEY. 

Montana — Lieut.  Doane' s  Report. 

Thanks  to  the  admirable  scientific  train 
ing  given  our  army  officers  at  West  Point, 
and  the  desire  of  that  distinguished  sol 


dier  and  son  of  Pennsylvania,  Gen.  Win- 
field  S.  Hancock,  [applause,]  to  ascertain 
and  disclose  the  resources  of  the  district 
of  which  he  is  in  command,  we  have  a 
recent  official  report  on  the  characteristics 
of  a  hitherto  unexplored  section  of  Mon 
tana,  the  wonders  of  which  not  only  ex 
ceed  those  of  Niagara  and  the  geysers  of 
California,  but  rival  in  magnitude  and 
extraordinary  combination  those  of  the 
Yo  Semite,  the  canons  of  Colorado  and 
the  geysers  of  Iceland.  But  I  cannot 
pause  even  to  allude  to  these.  Tourists 
and  men  of  science  will  give  the  world 
many  a  description  of  them.  My  pur 
pose  is  to  illustrate  the  climate  and 
the  fertility  not  only  of  the  valleys  but  of 
the  mountains,  which  bear  trees  rising  be 
yond  one  hundred  feet  in  height  at  an 
elevation  which  in  New  York  or  New 
England  would  mark  the  region  of  per 
petual  snow. 

I  have  here  Executive  Document  No. 
51,  of  the  Third  Session,  Forty-first  Con 
gress.  It  is  the  report  (and  you  will  see 
that  it  is  quite  brief)  of  Lieut.  Gustavus 
C.  Doane,  upon  the  so-called  Yellowstone 
expedition  of  1870.  It  is  Lieut  Doane's 
account  of  a  brief  tour  made  by  the 
Surveyor  General  of  Montana,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  survey  the  yet  hidden 
region  of  his  district,  and  who  applied 
to  Gen.  Hancock  for  an  escort  to  enable 
him  to  do  so  with  safety.  The  General 
promptly  complied  with  the  request,  and 
put  the  escort  under  the  charge  of  Lieut. 
Doane,  with  instructions  to  keep  a  record, 
noting  the  condition  of  the  barometer 
and  thermometer,  and  the  elevation  of 
each  day's  camp,  and  to  report  these  and 
such  other  facts  as  might  in  his  opinion 
be  of  general  interest. 

The  party  were  out  thirty-four  days. 
Their  point  of  departure  was  Fort  Ellis, 
which  is  at  an  elevation  of  4911  feet,  and 
at  which  the  thermometer  at  noon,  on  the 
day  of  their  departure,  August  22,  1870, 
stood  at  92°.  On  the  morning  of  the 
tHird  day  they  found  themselves  at  an 
elevation  of  4837  feet,  the  barometer 


20 


MONTANA — LIEUT.    DOANE's    REPORT. 


standing  25.10,  the  thermometer  40°.  In 
noting  that  day's  experience,  Lieut.  Doane 
says: 

"Throughout  the  forenoon  it  rained  occasional 
showers,  but  before  12  o'clock  the  clouds  rolled 
away  in  heavy  masses  along  the  mountain  sides, 
the  sun  came  out  and  the  atmosphere  was  clear 
again.  From  this  point  a  beautiful  view  is  ob 
tained.  The  mining  camp  of  Emigrant  Gulch  is 
nearly  opposite,  on  a  small  stream  coming  down 
from  the  mountains  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  A  few  settlements  have  been  made  in  this 
vicinity,  and  small  herds  of  cattle  range  at  will 
over  the  broad  extent  of  the  valley.  Our  camp 
was  situated  at  the  base  of  the  foot-hills,  near  a 
small  grove,  from  which  flowed  several  large 
springs  of  clear  water,  capable  of  irrigating  the 
whole  bottom  in  front.  The  soil  here  is  very  fer 
tile,  and  lies  favorably  for  irrigation ;  timber  is 
convenient,  water  everywhere  abundant,  and  the 
climate  for  this  region  remarkably  mild.  Resi 
dents  informed  me  that  snow  seldom  fell  in  the 
valley.  Stock  of  every  kind  subsist  through  the 
winter  without  being  fed  or  sheltered.  Except 
ing  the  Judith  Basin,  I  have  seen  no  district  in  the 
western  territories  so  eligible  for  settlement  as  the 
upper  valley  of  the  Yellowstone.  Several  of  the 
party  were  very  successful  during  the  morning  in 
fishing  for  trout,  of  which  we  afterward  had  an 
abundant  and  continued  supply.  The  Yellowstone 
here  is  from  50  to  100  yards  wide,  and  at  the  low 
est  stage  four  feet  deep  on  the  riffles,  running  over 
a  bed  of  drift  boulders  and  gravel  with  a  very 
rapid  current.  The  flow  of  water  is  fully  equal 
to  that  of  the  Missouri  at  Fort  Benton,  owing  to 
the  rapidity  of  the  current,  though  the  channel  is 
much  more  narrow." 

By  the  fifth  day  the  party  had  attained 
an  elevation  of  7,331  feet,  where  the 
thermometer  at  noon  marked  72°.  Here 
they  found  themselves  in  the  midst  of 
indescribable  volcanic  wonders.  They 
were,  however,  notwithstanding  their 
great  elevation,  in  the  midst  of  groves  of 
pine  and  aspen. 

In  his  notes  of  the  eighth  day  Lieut. 
Doane  says : 

"  Barometer,  23° ;  thermometer,  50°  ;  elevation, 
7,270  feet. 

"  Coming  into  camp  in  advance,  passing  through 
a  grove  of  pine " 

Can  one  who  has  not  visited  the  pampas 
of  South  America,  Australia,  the  elevated 
plains  of  Asia,  or  our  own  sheep-growing 
territory,  imagine  a  forest  of  pines  at  48° 
north  latitude,  rising  from  an  elevation 
of  7,270  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea? 

"  Coming  into  camp  in  advance,  passing  through 
a  grove  of  pine,  on  the  margin  of  a  little  creek,  I 
was  met  face  to  face  on  the  path,  by  two  magnifi 


cent  buck  elk,  one  of  which  I  wounded,  but  lost 
in  the  woods.  Mr.  Smith  started  up  a  small  bear, 
which  also  got  away.  The  ground  was  everywhere 
tracked  by  the  passage  of  herds  of  elk  and  moun 
tain  sheep ;  and  bear  sign  was  everywhere  visible." 

The  tenth  day  found  the  party  at  an 
elevation  of  7,697  feet,  with  -the  ther 
mometer  at  46°  in  the  morning.  De 
scribing  the  high  hills,  (one  of  which, 
Langford's  Peak,  rises  abruptly  to  the 
height  of  10,327  feet,)  by  which  they 
were  surrounded,  and  through  which  the 
waters  of  the  Yellowstone  poured  in  one 
of  the  grandest  cataracts  of  the  world, 
Lieut.  Doane  says  : 

"  On  the  caps  of  these  dizzy  heights,  mountain 
sheep  and  elk  rest  during  the  night.  I  followed 
down  the  stream  on  horseback,  to  where  it  breaks 
through  the  range,  threading  my  way  through 
the  forest  on  game  trails  with  little  difficulty. 
Selecting  the  channel  of  a  small  creek  and  leaving 
the  horses,  I  followed  it  down  on  foot,  wading  in 
the  bed  of  the  stream,  which  fell  off  at  an  angle  of 
about  30°  between  walls  of  gypsum.  Private 
McConnell  accompanied  me.  On  entering  the 
ravine  we  came  at  once  to  hot  springs  of  sulphur, 
sulphate  of  copper,  alum,  steam  jets,  &c.,  in  end 
less  variety,  some  of  them  of  very  peculiar  form. 
One  of  them  in  particular  of  sulphur  had  built  up 
a  tall  spire  from  the  slope  of  the  wall,  standing 
out  like  an  enormous  horn,  with  hot  water  trick 
ling  down  its  sides.  The  creek  ran  on  a  bed  of 
solid  rock,  in  many  places  smooth  and  slippery, 
in  others  obstructed  by  masses  of  debris  formed 
from  the  overhanging  cliffs  of  the  sulphuretted 
limestone  above.  After  descending  for  three 
miles  in  the  channel  we  came  to  a  sort  of  bench 
or  terrace,  the  same  one  seen  previously  in  follow 
ing  down  the  creek  from  our  first  camp  in  the  basin. 
Here  we  found  a  large  flock  of  mountain  sheep, 
very  tame,  and  greatly  astonished,  no  doubt,  at 
our  sudden  appearance.  McConnell  killed  one 
and  wounded  another,  whereupon  the  rest  dis 
appeared,  clambering  up  the  steep  walls  with  a 
celerity  truly  astonishing." 

On  the  twelfth  day,  at  an  elevation 
of  7,487  feet,  they  discovered  a  recent 
volcano,  throwing  steam  and  mud  to  the 
height  of  300  feet.  I  refer  to  this,  not  to 
dwell  upon  this  wonder  (for  it  was  but 
one  among  a  myriad),  but  as  evidence  of 
the  condition  of  vegetation  and  the  capa 
city  of  the  country  to  sustain  flocks  at 
that  elevation.  Lieut.  Doane  says  : 

"  The  distances  to  which  this  mud  has  been 
thrown,  are  truly  astonishing.  Directly  above 
the  crater  rises  a  steep  bank,  a  hundred  feet  in 
height,  on  the  apex  of  which  the  tallest  tree  near 
is  no  feet  high.  The  topmost  branches  of  this 
tree  were  loaded  with  mud  200  feet  above  and  50 


SETTLEMENTS    ALONG    THE    LINE. COMMERCIAL   ADVANTAGES. 


21 


feet  laterally  away  from  the  crater.  The  ground 
and  fallen  trees  near  by,  were  splashed  at  a  hori 
zontal  distance  of  200  feet.  The  trees  below  were 
either  broken  down  or  their  branches  festooned 
with  dry  mud,  which  appeared  in  the  tops  of  trees 
growing  on  the  side  hill  from  the  same  level  with 
the  crater,  50  feet  in  height,  and  at  a  distance  of 
I  So  feet  from  the  volcano." 

Certainly  vegetation  is  not  stunted  by 
climate  when  in  this  elevated  and  vol 
canic  region  upon  the  apex  of  the  hills, 
trees  attain  the  height  of  no  feet ! 

But  Lieut.  Doane's  report  is  replete 
with  evidence  that  the  valleys  are  capable 
of  sheltering  sheep  and  cattle  from  the 
severity  of  climate  that  prevails  upon  the 
greater  elevations  during  the  winter. 

But  the  route  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  is  not  obstructed  by  mountains 
like  these  ;  the  highest  point  it  attains 
being  the  Deer  Lodge  Pass  through  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  which  is  4950  feet, 
being  3285  feet  below  the  grade  of  the 
Lhiion  Pacific  Road  at  Sherman,  where, 
t\vo  years  ago,  I  gathered  a  bouquet 
composed  of  the  wild  flowers  common  to 
Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

Settlements  Along  the  Line. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  a  portion  of 
the  land  in  Dakota,  Montana  and  Idaho, 
through  which  this  road  will  run,  is  un- 
suited  to  cultivation,  but  the  proportion 
is  much  less  than  will  be  found  on  the 
line  of  any  more  southern  road.  The 
alkali  plains  alone  which  the  Union  and 
Central  road  traverses  are  broader  than 
the  breadth  of  all  the  bad  lands  along  the 
line  of  the  Northern  route.  Governor 
Stevens,  who  superintended  the  original 
government  survey  of  this  line,  and  fre 
quently  crossed  the  country,  said,  that 
"not  more  than  one-fifth  of  the  land  from 
Red  River  to  Puget  Sound  is  unsuited  to 
cultivation,  and  this  fifth  is  largely  made 
up  of  mountains  covered  with  bunch 
grass  and  valuable  timber,  and  filled  with 
precious  metals."  But,  ladies  and  gen 
tlemen,  were  it  true  that  but  one-fifth 
instead  of  four-fifths  of  the  land  granted 
to  the  Northern  Pacific  Company  between 
the  western  boundary  of  Minnesota  and 


the  eastern  boundary  of  Washington  and 
Oregon,  is  presently  available  for  the 
purposes  of  settlement,  the  grant  would, 
in  my  judgment,  be  adequate  for  the  con 
struction  of  the  road.  Indeed,  I  believe 
that  the  lands  granted  in  Minnesota, 
Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  would 
build  and  equip  the  road. 

Commercial  Advantages* 

No  part  of  the  capital  employed  in 
constructing  this  road  will  be  long  un- 

*  The  Chicago  Jotirnal,  in  an  intelligent  review 
of  the  Pacific  Railroads,  says  : 

The  census  returns  of  1860  gave  460,112  as  the 
sum  total  of  the  population  of  Nebraska,  Wyoming, 
Utah,  Nevada  and  California — the  district  now 
traversed  by  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  Rail 
roads.  Work  was  commenced  on  the  road,  at 
both  ends,  in  the  winter  of  1863.  Between  the 
two  dates  mentioned,  owing  to  the  war,  it  is  evi 
dent  that  the  far  West  could  not  have  received 
much  of  an  addition  to  its  population.  Looking 
back  now,  it  is  easy  to  see  why  so  many  of  its 
friends,  even,  prophesied  that  financially  the  road 
would  be  a  failure.  They  regarded  the  enterprise 
as  one  of  political  necessity,  but  could  see  no 
money  in  it.  Its  route,  for  the  most  part,  lay 
through  a  wilderness  incapable  of  agricultural 
settlement.  Of  the  whole  number  of  inhabitants 
above  given  all  but  90,11 8  were  in  the  State  of 
California. 

*  *  *  *  * 

The  earnings  of  the  Central  and  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  were  Fourteen  Millions  in  1870 — the 
net  receipts  over  operating  expenses  being  in 
excess  of  Six  Millions.  In  other  words,  in  the 
first  year  of  its  through  business  it  earned  enough 
over  and  above  running  expenses  to  pay  six  per 
cent,  on  a  fair  estimate  of  its  cost.  In  six  years 
the  Central  Pacific  (forming  one-half  of  the  through 
line)  has  earned  Ten  Millions  net,  being  nearly 
Six  Millions  more  than  the  interest  on  its  Bonds 
and  all  the  the  cost  of  operating.  Sixty-five  per 
cent,  of  this  came  from  local  traffic,  and  one  year 
only  of  through  business  is  included  in  it.  The 
authorities  of  the  Central  Pacific  estimate  the  earn 
ings  of  their  road  for  1871  at  Ten  Millions,  and 
President  Thomas  A.  Scott,  of  the  Union  Pacific, 
places  the  earnings  of  that  road,  this  year,  at 
Nine  Millions,  making  $19,000,000  for  the  through 
line  from  San  Francisco  to  Omaha.  Of  this  at 
least  $9,000,000  will  be  net  above  running  ex 
penses,  or  9  per  cent,  on  a  reasonable  estimate  of 
the  entire  cost  of  the  road.  The  first  mortgage 
bonds  of  the  Central  Pacific,  bearing  six  per  cent, 
interest,  and  secured  only  on  the  road,  are  now 
selling  at  103.  So  oppositely  to  all  expectation 
has  the  operation  of  the  road  turned  out ! 

Since  the  commencement  of  the  Union  and 
Central  Pacific,  San  Francisco  has  grown  from 
being  a  city  of  sixty  thousand  inhabitants  to  be  a 
city  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  But,  includ- 


22 


THE    NORTHERN    RIVER    SYSTEM. 


productive,  as  a  remunerative  business 
awaits  the  completion  of  each  section. 
From  the  Missouri  at  Omaha  to  the  Sac 
ramento  no  navigable  stream  crosses  or 
approaches  the  Union  and  Central  road, 
while  the  route  of  this  road  is  traversed, 


ing  that,  a  total  population  of  the  belt  of  States 
and  Territories  through  which  the  road  runs  is 
only  788,270.  And  this  number  of  people,  with 
aid  from  a  portion  of  Colorado  (population  39,- 
681)  furnish  business  to  the  Union  and  Central 
Pacific  at  the  rate  of  Fourteen  to  Nineteen  Mil 
lion  dollars  per  year.  This  brings  up  the  rather 
curious  question,  How  many  inhabitants  are 
necessary  in  a  given  district  to  make  a  railway 
pay? 

And  now  comes  the  Northern  Pacific,  certainly 
with  greater  probabilities  of  success  than  were  be 
fore  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific.  While  it  equals 
the  other  in  mineral  wealth,  the  country  through 
which  it  runs  is  vastly  more  inviting  to  the  far 
mer.  Indeed,  testimony  shows  it  to  be  of  special 
agricultural  value.  Leaving  out  California  on 
the  Union-Central  Pacific,  and  also  excluding 
Minnesota  on  the  Northern  Pacific,  and  the  latter 
road  has  104,752  more  people  to  contribute  to  its 
local  business  than  awaited  the  opening  of  the 
Union  and  Central  Pacific,  and  only  23,592  less 
than  give  support  to  the  latter  road  now. 

Including  those  two  States,  which  would  not 
be  unfair,  inasmuch  as  the  Northern  Pacific  will 
have  in  Minnesota,  with  its  main  and  branch 
lines,  over  eight  hundred  miles  of  road,  draining 
two-thirds  of  the  entire  State — including  these 
two  States,  the  tributary  population  of  the  North 
ern  road  in  all  is  639,433,  or  179,321  more  than 
were  at  first  reached  by  the  Union-Central 
Pacific,  and  only  148,837  less  than  give  aid  to  it 
now. 

But  the  figures  given  are  suggestive.  What, 
principally  within  the  last  five  years,  has  added 
100,000  to  the  population  of  San  Francisco? 
Surely  nothing  so  much  as  the  summons  of  iron 
knocking  at  the  Golden  Gate.  If  a  road  can  add 
100,000  people  in  five  years  to  an  existing  city, 
cannot  another  one  in  the  same  time  build  up  a 
city  of  100,000,  especially  if,  by  reason  of  its 
shorter  oceanic  distance,  it  is  demonstrated  that 
it  will  necessarily  control  foreign  shipments  ? 

Few  doubt  that  if  the  land  lying  along  the 
Union  Pacific  had  been  as  available  for  agriculture 
as  the  lands  of  the  Northern  Pacific,  the  popula 
tion  along  the  route  would  have  trebled  as  well  as 
that  of  its  terminal  city.  Here,  then,  the  case 
will  probably  stand : — The  Northern  Pacific,  on 
its  completion,  will  find  a  flourishing  city  awaiting 
it  on  Puget  Sound,  inferior,  of  course,  in  size,  to 
San  Francisco,  but  still  a  thriving,  well-grown 
city,  as  helpful  to-  it  as  the  other  to  its  Southern 
compeer.  It  will,  during  its  progress,  on  account 
of  its  fertile  lands,  more  than  quadruple  the  popu 
lation  west  of  Minnesota,  and  so  bids  more  than 
fair  to  equal  the  first  through  business  of  the 
Union  and  Central  Pacific,  while  for  the  succeed 
ing  years  its  returns  will  be  vastly  greater. 


at  intervals  of  about  two  hundred  miles, 
along  its  whole  extent  by  navigable  streams 
upon  which  there  are  considerable  settle 
ments.  One  eastern  terminus  of  the  road 
is  the  western-most  point  of  our  magnifi 
cent  system  of  Lake  navigation — the  other 
is  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Missis 
sippi  river  at  St.  Paul,  a  city  whose  popula 
tion  numbers  about  25,000.  Duluth,  its 
lake  terminus,  is  rising  into  commercial 
importance  more  rapidly  than  did  Chicago, 
and  with  the  promise  of  continuous  growth. 
It  is  the  port  through  which  the  people  of 
Minnesota  and  the  entire  new  Northwest 
will  exchange  commodities  not  only  with 
all  the  lake  ports  of  the  U.S.  and  British 
America,  but  with  Europe,  and  the  com 
mercial  cities  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard. 
It  will  also  be  the  chief  outlet  for  the  in 
creasing  tens  of  millions  of  bushels  of 
wheat  and  feet  of  lumber,  produced  by 
the  farmers  and  lumbermen  of  Minnesota. 
Though  Duluth  is  not  yet  four  years  old, 
her  foreign  commerce  is  large  enough  to 
to  command  the  attention  of  the  Trea 
sury  Department,  and  require  the  ap 
pointment  of  a  deputy  collector  and 
several  minor  officers  of  customs. 

The  Northern  River  System. 

The  settlements  on  the  Red  river  of 
the  North,  the  western  boundary  of  Min 
nesota,  are  numerous,  and  the  trade  of 
the  extended  and  fertile  valleys  it  drains 
will  await  the  completion  of  the  road  to 
that  river,  which  will  be  accomplished 
by  the  ist  of  September.  Beyond  Min 
nesota,  the  line  crosses  or  runs  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Dakota,  Missouri  and 
Yellowstone,  which  are  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  navigable  for 
hundreds  or  thousands  of  miles ;  and 
beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  Snake, 
the  Cowlitz  and  the  Columbia  rivers, 
will  prove  immediate  and  valuable  tribu-y 
taries  to  its  business.  Its  western  termini 
are  at  Portland  on  the  Willamette,  twelve 
miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Col 
umbia,  which  is  already  an  important 
commercial  centre,  and  a  point  yet  to 


THE    FUTURE    PACIFIC   METROPOLIS. SOME   OFFICIAL   TESTIMONY. 


23 


be  determined  on  the  waters  of  Puget 
Sound,  which  are  the  predestined  field  of 
a  commerce  that,  at  an  early  day,  will 
exceed  that  of  San  Francisco,  and,  in  the 
not  very  distant  future,  equal  the  present 
commerce  of  New  York.  I  cannot  give 
the  figures  to  show  the  extent  of  the 
trade  of  the  Columbia  river  and  its  con 
fluents,  but  am  able  to  assure  you  from  ac 
tual  observation  that  it  has  been  large 
and  profitable  enough  to  give  the  original 
stockholders  of  the  Oregon  Steam  Navi 
gation  Co.  prominent  places  in  the  roll  of 
heavy  capitalists  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

The  Future  Pacific  Metropolis. 

That  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the 
Pacific  coast  would  be  south  of  Puget 
Sound  I  have  never  believed.  Obser 
vation  confirmed  the  conviction  with 
which  Mr.  Whitney  had  impressed  me. 
And  early  in  August,  1869,  just  after  my 
return  from  the  Pacific  coast,  at  the  re 
quest  of  Col.  John  W.  Forney,  I  held 
a  protracted  conversation  with  Mr. 
Joseph  I.  Gilbert,  an  experienced  phono 
graphic  reporter,  who,  on  the  2yth  of  that 
month,  presented  to  the  readers  of  the 
Press  the  substance  of  the  interview.  Re 
curring  to  the  Press  of  that  date,  I  find 
that,  speaking  on  this  point,  I  said : 

"  Allow  me  to  state  one  conclusion  from  personal 
observation.  It  is  that  San  Francisco  will,  in  the 
course  of  time,  cease  to  be  the  great  city  of  the  Pa 
cific  coast.  Her  location  constitutes  her  for  the 
present  the  entrepot  foi  all  the  commerce  of  the 
coast,  embracing  the  trade  from  the  South  Ameri 
can  coast,  from  the  Sandwich  Islands,  from  China, 
Japan,  British  Columbia,  and  our  territory  north  of 
lhat  city.  The  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  too,  is  quite 
capable  of.  accommodating  the  commerce  of  the 
world.  It  is,  I  think,  unequalled  as  a  bay,  in  ex 
tent,  beauty  and  safety.  The  city  has  made  most 
magnificent  strides.  She  has  her  dry-dock,  her 
ample  wharves,  her  steam-tugs,  her  coast  defences, 
and  has  made  very  considerable  progress  in  manu 
factures.  But  notwithstanding  all  these  advan 
tages,  my  firm  impression  is  that  the  great  city  of 
the  Pacific  coast  will  have  its  location  on  or  near 
the  waters  of  Puget  Sound. 

"^  "&  *ft  •&  jfc  •$£  -5£ 

"  Here  are  to  be  found  in  abundance  timber, 
coal,  iron,  fish,  wheat,  all  domestic  grasses,  the  po 
tato,  apple,  pear,  plum,  and  during  more  than  half 
the  year,  all  the  fruits  known  to  our  own  tables. 
Here,  in  my  judgment,  will  be  located  the 


great  city  of  the  Pacific  coast,  as,  owing  to  the  pe 
culiar  conformation  of  the  Sound,  communication 
may  easily  be  had  between  distant  parts  of  this  ter 
ritory  by  water, 

"  Another  consideration  is  that  a  city  located 
here  would  be  practically  nearer  to  China  than  is 
San  Francisco;  because  vessels  leaving  San  Fran 
cisco  for  China,  notwithstanding  the  point  for  which 
they  are  destined  is  south  of  their  point  of  depar 
ture,  are  compelled  on  account  of  the  prevailing 
winds,  to  make  what  sailors  call  a  "northing," 
quite  up  to  the  Straits  of  Fuca ;  in  consequence  of 
which  a  vessel  starting  from  the  latter  point  for  the 
same  destination  would  have  an  advantage  of  three 
or  four  days  over  her  San  Francisco  competitor." 

Some  Official  Testimony. 

But,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  let  me  has 
ten  on  and  show  you  by  official  testimony 
the  advantages  presented  by  this  route  to 
the  Pacific  over  any  other  north  of  the  32d 
parallel,  on  which,  as  I  have  said,  the  almost 
tropical  climate  would  prove  an  obstacle 
to  general  travel  and  commerce.  In 
pursuance  of  the  act  of  Congress  of  March 
3,  1853,  the  Topographical  Engineers 
designated  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  sur 
veyed  seven  routes  extending  from  the 
line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  southward  to 
the  32d  parallel.  Their  reports  were  re 
ferred  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  for  ex 
amination  to  Captain  A.  A.  Humphreys 
and  Lieut.  G.  K.  Warren,  both  of  whom 
are  well  known  to  the  country  for  the  dis 
tinguished  services  they  rendered  as  com 
manding  generals  during  the  late  war, 
and  the  former  of  whom  is  now  at  the 
head  of  the  Engineer  Department  of  the 
United  States  Army.  On  the  5th  of 
February,  1855,  these  officers  submitted 
the  results  of  their  analysis  and  compari 
sons  in  an  elaborate  report,  in  which, 
speaking  of  the  route  near  the  4yth  and 
49th  parallel  they  say  : 

"  The  advantages  of  this  route  are — its  low  pro 
file,  which  is  important  in  relation  to  climate;  its 
easy  grades,  and  small  amount  of  ascents  and  de- 
cents,  both  important  if  the  road  should  be  devel 
oped  to  its  full  working  power ;  the  great  extension 
west  of  the  prairie  lands;  in  the  supplies  of  timber 
over  the  western  half  of  the  route;  the  facilities 
which  the  Columbia  river  and  its  tributaries,  and 
the  Missouri,  will  afford  to  the  construction  of  the 
road;  in  the  short  distance  from  the  Mississippi  to  a 
seaport  of  the  Pacific;  in  the  western  terminus  of 
the  road  on  Puget  Sound  being  nearer  to  the  ports 
of  Asia  than  the  termini  of  the  other  routes;  in  the 


GRADES— A   NATURAL   PATHWAY.— EFFECT    ON    AMERICAN    COMMERCE. 


proximity  of  the  eastern  terminus  to  Lake  Superior, 
from  which  a  continuous  navigation  for  sea-going 
vessels  extends  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean;  and  in  the 
existence  of  coal  on  Puget  Sound." 

The  explorations  had  been  but  pre 
liminary  and  had  not  disclosed  the  im 
portant  fact  that  an  abundant  supply  of 
coal  is  distributed  at  easy  points  along  the 
whole  route.* 

On  page  107  of  the  first  volume  of  the 
report,  to  which  I  refer  for  a  moment,  is 
found  a  tabular  statement,  showing  the 
relative  distance   by  each  of  the  seven 
routes  surveyed ;  the  sum  of  ascents  and 
descents:    the   length  of  level    route  of 
equal  working  expense ;  the  comparative 
cost  of  different  routes ;    the  number  of 
miles  of  route  through  arable  land ;  the 
number  of  miles  of  route  through  lands 
generally  uncultivated,  arable  soil  being 
found  in  small  areas ;  number  of  square 
miles  of  sums  of  areas  of  largest  bodies  of 
arable  land  in  uncultivable  region  ;  num 
ber  of  miles  at  an  elevation  less  than  1000 
feet ;  number  at  an  elevation  greater  than 
1000  and  less  than   2000;   greater  than 
2000   and  less  than   3000;   greater  than 
3000  and  less  than   4000;   greater  than 
4000   and  less  than  5000;   greater  than 
5000  and  less  than  6000,  at  which  point 
the  Northern  route  disappears  from  the 
table,  while  two  of  the  routes  have  each 
twenty  miles  at  grades  above  10,000  feet, 
and  both  of  which  it  would  be  necessary 
to  tunnel  at  an  elevation  of  9540  feet, 
which  is  4590  feet  above  the  highest  sum 
mit  the  Northern  road  will  cross. 


pense.  The  lower  the  rate  of  ascent  and 
descent  the  safer  and  more  economical  is 
travel.  And  while  the  Northern  route  is 
charged  under  this  head  with  but  19,100 
feet,  the  route  comparing  most  favorably 
with  it  in  this  respect  is  that  on  the  41  st 
and  42d  parallels,  in  which  the  sum  is 
29,120,  an  increase  of  more  than  fifty  per 
cent.;  and  the  extreme  contrast  is  that  of 
the  route  on  the  38th  and  39th  parallels, 
in  which  the  sum  reaches  56,514. 

The  study  of  these  voluminous  reports 
will  satisfy  any  reasonable  man  that  from 
Duluth  to  a  point   on    Puget    Sound   is 
nature's  own  route  for  a  Pacific  railroad. 
So  startling  indeed  were  the  advantages 
presented   by  this  route,   that    the   then 
Secretary  of  War,  Jefferson  Davis,  struck 
from    the    report    of  Governor    Stevens, 
since  so  distinguished  as  a  soldier  and  en 
gineer,  the  estimate  he  presented  of  the 
cost,   which  was   $117,121,000    and    in 
serted  in  lieu  thereof  $130,781,000.     His 
keen  foresight  showed  him  that  the  de 
velopment  of  the  then  almost  unknown 
Northwest,  by  the  construction  of  a  road 
upon  easy  gradients  through  a  region  of 
such  wonderful  resources,  would,  in  a  few 
years,  place  his  beloved  South  and  slavery 
at  the  mercy  of  a  free  people,  overwhelm 
ingly  outnumbering  those  of  the  planta 
tion  States.    How  reckless  and  unjust  this 
action  was,  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  all 
the  more  recent  estimates  fix  the  cost  at 
but  little  more  than  sixty-six  per  cent,  of 
that  of  Governor  Stevens,  or  $77,000,000 
for  the  road  and  original  equipment. 


Grades — A  Natural  Pathway. 
In  all  these  respects  the  Northern  route 
is  shown  to  compare  favorably  with  all 
of  its  competitors.  But  its  most  remark 
able  advantage  appears  under  the  head  of 
the  sum  of  ascents  and  descents.  High 
rates  under  this  head  indicate  increased 
percentages  of  danger  and  current  ex- 

*  San  Francisco  and  her  ocean  steamers  are  now 
supplied  with  coal  mined  on  Puget  Sound,  near 
the  western  terminus  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad.  Twenty-five  thousand  tons  were 
shipped  for  this  purpose  in  1870. 


Effect  on  American  Commerce. 

The  effect  the  completion  of  this  road, 
with  its  immense  advantages  of  position 
and  grades,  is  to  have  upon  our  commerce 
cannot  be  predicted.  I  reiterate  the  asser 
tion  that  the  trade  of  the  Pacific  Ocean 
must  find  its  chief  entrepot  on  Puget  Sound ; 
and  as  evidence  of  my  appreciation  of  the 
future  extent  and  value  of  this  commerce 
let  me  again  refer  to  the  remarks  I  made 
in  Congress  on  the  26th  of  April,  1866. 
Replying  to  a  distinguished  representative 


PACIFIC   COAST   HARBORS. PUGET    SOUND. 


25 


from  Chicago,  111.,  who  had  reminded 
members  who  were  disposed  to  vote  for 
aid  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Road,  that  a 
Congressional  election  was  at  hand,  I  said: 

"  I  appeal  from  the  constituents  of  the  gentleman 
from  Chicago  [Mr.  Wentworth],  on  the  eve  of  an 
election,  to  posterity,  and  ask  gentlemen  to  view 
the  proposed  enterprise  in  the  light  in  which  future 
generations  will  behold  it.  They  will  look  beyond 
the  vast  and  undeveloped  empire  I  have  indicated; 
for  beyond  it  lies  the  broad  Pacific,  capable  of 
bearing  a  commerce  a  thousand  times  heavier  than 
has  ever  chafed  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  but 
on  which  our  flag  is  seen  floating  only  from  the 
masts  of  coasting  craft  or  whalers  wending  their 
slow  way  to  the  Northern  seas  in  quest  of  hard- 
earned  wealth.  So  slight  is  our  power  upon  this 
ocean  that  the  recently  pardoned  rebel  Semmes, 
with  a  single  vessel,  destroyed  nearly  a  hundred 
of  our  peaceable  whalers,  giving  their  cargoes, 
gathered  by  years  of  dangerous  toil,  to  the  flames 
or  the  waves.  It  bounds  our  country  for  more 
than  a  thousand  miles,  and  our  maritime  power, 
which  could  not  now  protect  a  mile  of  it,  should 
be  seen  and  felt  upon  it,  and  our  flag  and  white 
sails  or  the  curling  smoke  of  our  steamers  should 
shadow  its  every  wave. 

"  The  commerce  of  the  Pacific  ocean  belongs  to 
us ;  and  we  should  confirm  our  title  by  the  right  of 
occupancy*;  for  when  we  cast  our  eyes  beyond  its 
placid  surface,  we  behold  what  is  to  be  our  next 
conquest.  The  Old  World  is  to  be  awakened  by 
American  ideas.  Its  unnumbered  people  are  to  be 
quickened,  instructed,  and  redeemed  by  American 
enterprise.  Some  statisticians  tell  us  that  there  are 
750,000,000  people  in  the  ancient  theocratic  coun 
tries  of  the  East,  which  is  the  West  to  which  the 
star  of  our  commercial  empire  will  next  take  its 
way.  Others  put  the  population  at  1,000,000,000; 
and  others  at  1 ,300,000,000.  There,  where  civili 
zation  dawned  and  the  drowsy  past  yet  lingers,  the 
first  impulses  of  a  new  cycle  begin  to  be  felt.  Japan 
is  yielding  to  the  impulses  of  our  age.  The  Chi 
nese  wall  is  crumbling  away.  It  was  but  yesterday 
that  I  had  a  letter  informing  me  that  our  country 
man,  Dr.  Martin,  interpreter  of  the  American  Le 
gation  at  Pekin,  under  the  employment  of  the  Chi 
nese  Government,  had  rendered  into  that  language 
our  Wheaton's  Law  of  Nations.  Thus,  that  vast  and 
long  isolated  Power  is  preparing  to  enter  into  com 
mercial  connections  with  the  world.  The  ancient 
civilization  of  Asia  is  giving  way,  the  doctrine  of 
sacred  castes  is  about  to  yield  to  the  sublimer  creed 
of  man's  freedom  and  equality.  Muscular  labor 
will  soon  be  done  there  by  the  potent  agents  we 
now  employ — coal  and  iron — and  the  genius  of  the 
buried  dead,  embodied  in  mechanism,  will  soon 
relieve  their  toiling  millions  as  it  now  does  ours. 
Their  whole  life  is  to  be  quickened  by  modern  en 
terprise,  and  they  will  swell  the  numbers  of  the 
people  on  our  Pacific  slope." 

When  it  is  asserted  that  these  roads 
will  give  us  the  control  of  the  commerce 
of  China,  purblind  philosophers  point  to 
the  small  portion  of  that  trade  carried 


by  the  Central  and  Union  road  as  proof 
that  that  commerce  will  never  cross  our 
country.  It  is  not  two  years  since  that 
road  was  completed.  Commerce  follows 
cheap  and  rapid  lines  of  transit,  and 
railroad  fares  are  regulated  by  the  amount 
of  business  done.  Thus  in  1850,  by  the 
average  rate  of  fares  on  American  roads, 
it  cost  $20  to  transport  a  ton  of  wheat 
100  miles;  in  1870,  a  ton  of  wheat  was 
transported  the  same  distance  for  $1.25. 
[Applause.]  With  increase  of  business 
the  Central  and  Union  Pacific  Road  will 
be  able,  while  increasing  its  profits,  to 
reduce  its  rates  for  freight  and  travel. 
It  is  doing  it  already.  Its  present  rates- 
for  passengers  and  freight  compare,  as 
I  have  said,  most  favorably  with  those 
of  1869  ;  and  when  twenty  or  thirty  other 
branches,  like  those  to  Denver  and  Salt 
Lake  City,  shall  throw  their  business 
upon  the  trunk  line,  and  when  other 
Evanstons  and  Cheyennes  shall  have 
sprung  up,  when  Omaha  shall  be  a  city 
like  San  Francisco,  and  San  Francisco 
a  city  like  Philadelphia,  all  which  may 
occur  within  the  next  quarter  of  a  cen 
tury,  who  shall  say  how  small  will  be  the 
charge  for  carrying  a  chest  of  tea  or  a 
case  of  silk  ?  It  will  be  very  small,  and 
when  railroads  shall  be  able  to  carry  this 
freight  as  cheaply  and  more  quickly  than 
it  can  be  moved  by  steamers,  the  trade 
of  China  and  Japan  will  cross  our  conti 
nent,  and  my  prophecies  of  1846  and 
1850  will  be  more  than  fulfilled,  as  the 
Pennsylvania  road  will  carry  the  freight 
of  two  Pacific  roads — one  from  San  Fran 
cisco  and  the  other  from  the  Columbia 
and  Puget  Sound.  [Applause.] 

Pacific  Coast  Harbors. — Puget  Sound. 

Among  the  strange  contrasts  presented 
by  our  two  coasts,  few  are  more  impres 
sive  than  the  coast  line  itself.  Harbors 
are  numerous  along  the  Atlantic  coast. 
No  seaboard  State  is  without  one  or  more 
good  harbors.  Count  them,  from  Gal- 
veston  northward  and  eastward  to  Port 
land,  Maine,  and  the  number  will  surorisc 


26 


PRODUCTIONS,    RESOURCES    AND    SEASONS. 


you.  The  agricultural  and  mineral  pro 
ductions  of  almost  every  State  could  be 
floated  to  the  sea,  while  our  long  Pacific 
coast,  south  of  Alaska,  presents  but  four 
harbors  or  fair  points  for  commercial  cen 
tres,  the  Bays  of  San  Diego  and  San  Fran 
cisco,  the  Columbia  River  and  Puget 
Sound,  the  entrance  to  which  is  the  Straits 
of  Fuca.  The  Alleghanies  are  inland 
mountains;  but  the  "coast  range,"  as 
their  name  indicates,  lie  along  the  coast 
of  the  Pacific,  leaving  harbors  only  where 
the  great  waters  have  forced  their  way 
through  the  rocks. 

As  I  have  said,  the  commerce  of  China 
and  Japan  must  near  our  coast  north  of 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  north  even  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  at  a  point 
near  to  the  Straits  of  Fuca.  While,  there 
fore,  the  commerce  of  the  Pacific  must 
to  some  extent  be  shared  by  San  Diego, 
San  Francisco,  Portland,  and  Astoria,  a 
city  yet  to  arise  on  Puget  Sound  will  be 
its  great  centre. 

Productions,  Resources  and  Seasons. 

Would  that  I  could  convey  to  your 
minds  a  moderate  conception  of  the 
wealth  and  climate  of  this  far  North 
western  country  and  of  the  body  of  water 
called  the  Straits  of  Fuca  and  Puget 
Sound — so  calm,  so  deep,  so  guarded  by 
forests  such  as  no  man  who  has  not  visited 
them  has  ever  seen.  The  Straits  of  Fuca 
run  in  an  almost  direct  course  more  than 
ninety  miles,  at  an  average  width  of  more 
than  ten  miles.  The  shore-line  of  Puget 
Sound  is  nearly  1900  miles,  but,  such 
is  its  conformation,  that  the  points  at 
greatest  distance  from  each  other  are  not 
four  hundred  miles  apart.  The  Sound  is 
a  series  of  canals,  bays,  inlets  and  harbors. 
Gov.  Stevens,  who  lived  on  its  shores  for 
a  number  of  years,  likened  it  to  a  tree, 
with  a  very  recognizable  body  called 
Admiralty  Inlet,  and  innumerable  side- 
branches,  the  trunk  and  branches  filling 
a  region  seventy  nautical  miles  in  length 
from  north  to  south,  and  thirty  in  breadth 


from  east  to   west.      In    speaking   of  it 
again,  he  said  : 

"On  the  whole  west  coast,  from  San  Diego  to 
the  north,  nothing  like  this  is  met.  All  the  water 
channels  of  which  Admiralty  inlet  is  composed,  are 
comparatively  narrow  and  long.  They  have  more 
or  less  bold  shores  and  are  throughout  very  deep 
and  abrupt,  so  much  so  that  in  many  places  a  ship's 
side  will  'strike  the  shore  before. the  keel  will  touch 
the  ground.  Even  in  the  interior  and  hidden  parts, 
depths  of  50  and  100  fathoms  occur  as  broad  as 
De  Fuca  Strait  itself.  Vancouver  found  60  fathoms 
near  the  Vashon  Island  within  a  cable  length  of 
the  shore,  and  in  Possession  Sound  he  found  no 
soundings  with  a  line  of  no  fathoms.  Our  mod 
ern,  more  extensive  soundings  prove  that  this  depth 
diminishes  toward  the  extremities  of  the  inlets  and 
basins.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  and  safety 
of  these  waters  for  navigation.  Not  a  shoal  exists 
within  them;  not  a  hidden  rock;  no  sudden  over 
falls  of  the  water  or  the  air;  no  such  strong  flaws 
of  the  wind  as  in  other  narrow  waters,  for  instance 
as  in  those  of  Magellan's  Straits.  And  there  are 
in  this  region  so  many  excellent  and  most  secure 
ports  that  the  commercial  marine  of  the  Pacific 
ocean  may  be  here  easily  accommodated." 

There  is  but  little  waste  land  in  Oregon 
and  Washington  Territory.  Oregon  em 
braces  60,975,360  acres,  and  its  popula 
tion  in  1870  was  but  90,933.  Washing 
ton  Territory  contains  112,730,240  acres, 
and  the  census  takers  found  but  23,955 
civilized  people  dwelling  upon  them. 
This  State  and  Territory  are  among  the 
most  fertile  and  productive  sections  of 
our  country.  The  wheat  of  Oregon  and 
Washington,  as  you  may  ascertain  by  con 
sulting  the  commercial  papers  of  San 
Francisco,  commands,  in  the  markets  of 
that  city,  ten  cents  per  bushel  more  than* 
the  wheat  of  California;  and  oats  from 
the  Territory  are  worth  fifteen  cents  per 
cental  more  than  the  best  California  oats. 
As  we  get  the  wheat  of  the  entire  Pacific 
slope  through  California,  we  know  it  only 
as  California  wheat;  but  in  the  home 
market  the  difference  I  have  indicated  is 
constantly  maintained  by  reason  of  the 
superiority  of  the  more  northern  grain. 

The  forests  that  shelter  these  waters  are 
composed  of  trees  running  up  from  250 
to  350  feet,  with  a  diameter  of  from  8  to 
1 2  feet,  and  throwing  out  their  first  arms 
at  from  60  to  100  feet  above  the  ground. 
In  these  glorious  solitudes,  upon  the  waters 
of  Puget  Sound  there  are  in  operation 


THE    WORK    OF    DEVELOPMENT. 


saw  mills  that  will  this  year  ship  largely 
over  200,000,000  feet  of  superior  lumber 
to  San  Francisco,  Callao,  Valparaiso,  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  Australia  and  China. 
These  forests,  an  inexhaustible  store  of 
wealth  in  themselves,  are  underlaid  by 
rich  deposits  of  coal,  iron,  gold  and  sil 
ver.  The  beds  of  iron  and  coal  are 
already  utilized  to  some  extent ;  and  the 
existence  of  the  precious  metals,  is  estab 
lished  by  the  fact  that  the  washings  of 
the  water-courses  furnish  traces  of  gold 
and  other  metals.  Of  the  fish  with  which 
these  waters  teem,  I  dare  not  tax  your 
credulity  by  speaking. 

Though  bounded  by  the  49th  degree 
of  latitude,  the  climate  is  genial  through 
out  the  year.  So  mild  are  the  winters — 
indeed,  I  may  say,  so  free  is  the  country 
from  winter — that,  notwithstanding  the 
moisture  of  the  climate,  west  of  the  Coast 
range,  no  provision  is  made  for  housing 
cattle  at  any  season  of  the  year.  In  the 
month  of  July,  1869,  within  the  limits 
of  Astor's  old  fort,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia  river,  I  picked  from  the 
orchard  of  a  farmer  who  had  gone  thither 
from  Bedford  County,  Pa.,  a  variety  of 
delicious  apples,  pears  and  plums  ;  and 
from  vines  near  the  trunks  of  the  trees, 
raspberries,  strawberries  and  blackberries 
— a  combination  of  fruits  that  could  not 
be  found  in  the  month  of  July  upon 
the  best  cultivated  and  most  fortunately 
situated  farm  in  Pennsylvania.  And  a 
week  before,  our  party  had  found  Indian 
women  and  children  vending  these  fruits 
and  the  apricot  in  the  streets  of  Victoria, 
the  capital  of  British  Columbia. 

At  Olympia,  the  capital  of  Washington 
Territory,  situated  at  the  head  of  Puget 
Sound,  it  was  my  pleasure  to  pass  the 
greater  part  of  a  day  with  my  young 
friend  El  wood  Evans,  Esq.,  son  of  Chas. 
Evans,  the  press  manufacturer  of  this 
city  (whom  I  recognize  among  my  audi 
tors),  and  to  gather  luscious  fruit  from 
tree  and  vine  in  the  gardens  attached  to 
his  comfortable  home  and  his  law-office 
hard  by  upon  the  same  street. 


The  Work  of  Development. 

Do  you  ask,  as  others  have  done,  why 
with  such  stores  of  wealth,  waiting  to 
respond  with  such  boundless  generosity  to 
the  demands  of  man,  the  population  does 
not  equal  one  man,  woman  or  child,  to 
each  square  mile?  If  you  do,  the  answer 
is  ready.  It  is  because  the  people  and 
Government  of  the  United  States  did  not 
promptly  respond  to  the  suggestion  of  Asa 
Whitney,  and  either  by  the  means  pro 
posed  by  him,  or  those  they  should  select 
connect  our  Pacific  territory  with  the 
great  lakes  by  a  railway.  Had  that  been 
done,  and  the  way  been  then  opened  to 
emigrants,  Washington  Territory  would 
long  since  have  been  divided  into  two  or 
more  States,  California  and  Oregon  would 
be  great  commercial  rivals,  and  the  popu 
lation  of  our  Pacific  States  would  equal 
or  exceed  that  of  busy  and  blessed  New 
England. 

To  reach  the  golden  lands  of  the  Pacific 
coast  has  been  a  matter  of  too  much  time 
and  expense  for  the  poor  man,  and  too 
full  of  trials  for  families.  The  fact  that 
in  spite  of  these  almost  insuperable  diffi 
culties,  so  many  intelligent  people  have 
found  their  way  thither  is  a  testimonial 
to  the  wonderful  attractions  of  the  coun 
try,  and  the  immense  rewards  it  offers  to 
industry  and  enterprise. 

Build  this  road,  open  these  multiform 
and  exhaustless  resources  to  the  poor 
but  enterprising  people  of  the  Eastern 
States  and 'Europe,  and  population  will 
flow  into  them  so  rapidly  that  they  who 
shall  a  few  years  hence  hear  the  story 
of  the  doubts  of  to-day  about  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  will  experience 
wonder  similar  to  that  which  you  feel  at 
the  want  of  forecast  that  characterized 
the  people  of  Pennsylvania  twenty-five 
years  ago,  when  they  shrank  from  em 
barking  so  small  a  percentage  of  their 
capital  in  building  the  Pennsylvania 
Central  road;  and  in  a  few  years  the 
trunk  line  of  this  great  thoroughfare  will 
carry  the  trade  of  innumerable  lateral 


THE    WORK    OF    DEVELOPMENT. 


branches,  penetrating  not  only  our  valleys 
but  those  of  the  British  Colonies  to  the 
North,  whose  people  will  thus  be  made 
tributary  to  us  forever,  or  induced  to 
unite  their  destinies  with  ours,  under  a 
common  constitution  and  flag.  This  is 
not  declamation  or  prophecy.  It  is  the 
announcement  of  conclusions  that  flow 
irresistibly  from  an  ample  store  of  un 
questioned  facts. 

Do  you  ask  whence  the  population 
would  have  come  to  effect  the  changes  I 
have  indicated  ?  By  the  construction  of 
the  road,  the  character  of  the  climate  and 
resources  of  the  country  would  have  been 
disclosed  long  years  ago,  and  the  sheep- 
growers  of  the  States  from  Vermont  to 
Iowa  would  have  transferred  their  flocks 
to  the  Asiatic  and  Australian  fields  that 
slope  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  hardy 
lumbermen  from  the  forests  of  New  Eng 
land  and  northern  Pennsylvania  would 
have  found  their  way  to  these  richer  for 
ests  in  more  genial  climes.  Nor  would 
we  then  have  suffered  the  decline  in  our 
ship-building  so  much  and  so  justly  be 
moaned;  for  difficult  of  access  as  the 
country  is,  and  slender  as  is  its  popula 
tion  and  commerce,  we  found  along  these 
woody  shores  ship.-yards,  having  on  the 
stocks  first-class  ships,  the  outer  planks 
of  which  were  without  a  joint,  having  been 
cut  sheer  from  one  of  the  monarchs  of  the 
forest  on  the  shores  of  the  Sound.  The 
increased  coast  trade  of  the  Pacific 
commerce  between  our  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  ports  would  have  kep't  alive  this 
decaying  branch  of  business,  which  with 
the  completion  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad,  must  revive  with  grander  pro 
portions  than  it  ever  assumed  in  the  past. 

Where  will  the  people  come  from  to 
make  this  wealth  available,  to  build  cities 
at  the  points  along  this  road  at  which  rail 
road  and  river  traffic  shall  intersect,  to 
raise  provisions  for  the  mining  camps,  and 
to  build  up  commerce  on  Puget  Sound 
and  the  Columbia  river?  What  Ameri 
can,  whose  memory  is  good  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  asks  this  question  ?  Where 
have  the  people  come  from  who,  since  we 


discussed  the  propriety  of  building  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad,  and  Asa  Whitney 
submitted  the  project  of  a  Pacific  road, 
have  settled  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  whose 
joint  population,  though  then  but  200,000, 
now  numbers  two  millions  and  a  quarter, 
each  having  over  a  million  ?  Where  did 
the  people  come  from  who,  within  a  brief 
quarter  of  a  century  .have  doubled  the 
population  of  the  Northern  States  of  the 
Union  ?  Where  have  the  people  come 
from  who  have  meanwhile  populated  so 
many  of  the  gold  and  silver-producing 
sections  of  our  vast  territories,  and  built 
up  the  States  of  Texas,  California,  Min 
nesota  and  Oregon  ?  Let  Edward  Young, 
Esq.,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics, 
answer  these  questions.  I  hold  in  my 
hand  a  recent  report  of  his — a  document 
that  should  be  circulated  by  millions 
through  the  Eastern  States  and  Europe. 
It  is  entitled,  "  Special  Report  on  Immi 
gration,  accompanying  Information  for 
Immigrants  relative  to  the  Prices  and 
Rentals  of  Lands,  the  Staple  Products, 
Facilities  of  Access  to  Market,  Cost  of 
Farm  Stock,  Kind  of  Labor  in  Demand 
in  the  Western  and  Southern  States,  etc." 
This  report  shows  that  during  the  8  years 
terminating  with  the  3ist  of  December, 
1846,  we  received  736,887  immigrants, 
of  whom  416,950  came  from  the  British 
Isles.  But,  Mr.  Doubter,  you  interrupt 
me  to  ask  whether  this  tide  of  immigra 
tion  will  continue?  whether  it  has  not 
reached  its  climax?  The  Chief  of  the 
Bureau  of  Statistics  shall  answer  you 
again ;  for  his  report  shows  that  during 
the  like  period  of  8  years,  terminating 
the  3ist  of  last  December,  we  received 
2,307,554  immigrants,  of  whom  there 
came  from  the  British  Isles  1,015,517,  or 
more  than  33  per  cent.,  more  than  the 
entire  immigration  during  the  former 
eight  years. 

Yes,  the  tide  of  immigration  will  con 
tinue,  and  for  many  years  it  will  increase. 
Each  year  will  see  its  volume  rolling  in, 
until  regenerated  Europe  shall  give  the 
laborer  political  power  and  social  con 
sideration.  [Applause.]  Our  cheap  land 


PHILADELPHIA    INTERESTS. 


29 


and  democratic  institutions  will  bring 
her  bone  and  sinew  and  enterprise  to 
develop  the  resources  and  add  to  the 
wealth  and  power  of  our  country.  [Loud 
applause.]  And  nothing  will  do  more 
to  promote  the  movement  than  the  ad 
vertisement  to  all  the  world  of  the  vast 
resources  of  the  region  through  which 
this  road  is  to  run  and  the  wonderful 
field  for  labor,  enterprise  and  adventure 
at  its  Pacific  termini.* 

Philadelphia  Interests. 

But  what  will  be  the  effect  of  the  road 
upon  Philadelphia?  What  relations  has 
all  this  to  our  city  and  State?  These 
questions  which  you  propounded  to  me 
in  your  invitation,  have,  I  think,  been 
answered  by  what  I  have  said.  What 
State  or  city  shares  more  largely  than 
ours  in  the  general  prosperity  or  depres 
sion  of  the  country?  Who  will  be  more 
benefited  by  the  cheapening  of  freight  on 
raw  materials  and  manufactured  articles 
than  we  ?  What  American  city  produces 
so  many  of  the  comforts  and  luxuries 
which  the  people  along  the  line  of  this 
road  will  consume  as  Philadelphia? 
Their  demands  will  stimulate  our  industry, 
and  their  abounding  means  will  enable 
them  to  reward  it  abundantly.  The  con 
struction  of  one  railroad  bridge — that  over 


*  A  late  number  of  the  St.  Paul  Pioneer,  speak 
ing  of  the  tide  of  population  already  pouring  to 
the  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  says  : — 

"  The  roads  leading  to  the  Red  River  Valley 
are  literally  covered  with  emigrant  wagons, 
with  their  usual  accompaniment  of  families,  fur 
niture,  and  stock  of  all  kinds.  The  wagon  roads 
from  Sauk  Centre  to  St.  Peter  show  daily  acces 
sions  to  the  vast  caravan  wending  its  way  to  the 
fertile  regions  of  Northern  Minnesota.  The 
extent  of  the  great  incoming  tide  of  humanity 
can  be  best  estimated  on  the  main  road  between 
Alexandria  and  Pomme  de  Terre.  Two  hundred 
wagons  per  day  pass  over  this  portion  of  the  route 
northwest,  and  the  camp  fires  are  seldom  allowed 
to  go  out — a  fresh  train  of  emigrants  arrives 
almost  as  soon  as  its  predecessor  has  resumed  its 
march.  A  noticeable  feature  of  this  year's  emi 
gration  is  its  quality — the  wagons  come  loaded 
with  household  goods  and  farming  implements, 
and  are  followed  by  herds  of  cattle  and  other 
stock  which  in  quality  would  do  credit  to  any 
country." 


the  Mississippi  river  at  St.  Louis — gave 
to  one  Philadelphia  firm,  the  Wm.  Butcher 
Steel  Works,  a  contract  for  $500,000  worth 
of  steel.  And  even  now,  hundreds  of 
Philadelphia  mechanics  are  busy  building 
locomotives  and  passenger  and  freight 
cars  for  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad. 

I  need  not  elaborate  this  point.  We 
are  a  community  of  working  people. 
The  mass  of  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia 
absolutely  live  by  manual  labor.  The 
prosperity  of  the  capitalists  of  this  city 
is  dependent  upon  the  steady  employ 
ment  and  liberal  wages  of  her  working 
people.  [Applause.]  When  labor  is 
idle,  capital  is  idle,  or  employed  at  little 
profit ;  when  the  laborer  earns  no  wages, 
the  landlord  is  not  always  sure  of  his 
rent.  [Laughter  and  applause.]  The 
effect  that  the  construction  of  this  road 
will  have  upon  the  employment  and  wages 
of  laboring  people  was  discussed  by  me 
in  the  Congressional  remarks  to  which  I 
have  already  referred.  Let  me  read  a 
paragraph  or  two  from  what  I  then  said  : 

"  But  the  inviting  field  of  the  ocean,  and  the  vast 
field  of  enterprise  and  reward  open  to  us  in  Asia 
are  not  the  only  considerations  that  induce  me  to 
support  this  bill.  The  laboring  people  of  eveiy 
eastern  city  have  an  intense  interest  in  this  ques 
tion.  The  safety  of  our  country  depends  upon  the 
intelligence,  the  virtue,  the  stability  of  our  laboring 
people.  He  legislates  not  wisely  for  a  democratic 
republic  who  does  not  make  it  the  aim  of  all  his 
acts  to  improve  the  material  condition  of  the  great 
laboring  masses  of  the  country.  If  we  would  per 
petuate  our  institutions,  we  must  see  that  the  wages 
of  labor  are  so  maintained  that  the  children  of  tile 
laboring  man  shall  grow  up  amid  the  endearments 
of  home,  and  with  me  expectation  that  their  chil 
dren  shall  find  more  elegance  and  refinement  in 
their  homes  than  their  parents  were  familiar  with 
in  childhood. 

"The  construction  of  a  road  through  our  north 
ern  gold  region  will  open  a  field  that  will  be  a  con 
stant  refuge  for  the  surplus  labor  of  our  eastern 
States.  There  will  be  a  refuge  for  those  masses  of 
ingenious  workmen  who  are  jostled  each  year  by 
lack  of  adjustment  of  their  numbers  to  the  demand 
for  their  branch  of  labor,  or  are  deprived  of  the 
advantage  of  the  skill  they  acquired  in  youth  by 
the  invention  of  labor-saving  machinery;  and  in 
stead  of  finding  themselves,  as  age  gathers  on  their 
brow,  without  the  means  of  livelihood,  rich  fields 
of  enterprise,  easily  reached,  will  cheer  their  de 
clining  years. 

"  But  again,  the  depression  of  our  laboring  peo 
ple  springs  not  alone  or  chiefly  from  local  causes. 
Beyond  the  Atlantic  Ocean  there  are  250,000,000 


PHILADELPHIA    INTERESTS. 


people,  in  every  community  of  which  laboring  men 
are  held  as  raw  material;  and  under  the  grasping 
influence  of  capital,  and  the  oppression  of  despotic 
government  are  held  in  such  bondage,  that  they 
are  made  to  subsist,  even  when  they  toil  most  assidu 
ously,  upon  a  modicum  of  the  elements  of  life,  upon 
a  minimum  of  the  amount  that  will  keep  the  soul  in 
a  tolerably  sound  body.  Escaping  from  this  sub 
jection,  they  are  borne  to  our  shores  by  tens  and 
hundreds  of  thousands  each  year.  They  are  strang 
ers  in  a  strange  land,  many  of  them  unacquainted 
with  our  language  and  habits,  and  are  unconsciously 
and  unwillingly  the  means  of  depressing  wages. 
But  if  wre  give  to  the  company  the  means  to  inaugu 
rate  \vork  on  this  road,  we  will  not  only  relieve  the 
laboring  masses  of  our  crowded  eastern  cities,  but 
furnish  employment  for  more  than  the  annual  influx 
of  those  whom  we  gladly  welcome,  because  they 
strengthen  and  enrich  us  by  their  toil.  Could  we 
drain  Europe  of  its  surplus  laborers  we  would  raise 
her  wages  as  she  now  too  often  depresses  ours. 

"  What  will  be  the  true  policy  of  the  builders  of 
this  road?  Will  it  not  be  to  employ  as  laborers, 
the  heads  of  families,  and  to  pay  them  with  land 
and  money,  and  settle  the  families  along  the  line 
of  the  road,  so  that  the  laborer  of  one  year  will,  in 
the  next,  farm  his  land  and  supply  fresh  laborers 
with  bread?  Thus  will  he  who  enters  into  an  en 
gagement  with  the  company  a  pauper,  or  little  bet 
ter,  find  himself  at  the  end  of  a  year  or  two  an 
independent  farmer  upon  the  world's  great  com 
mercial  highway.  The  managers  of  the  road  must 
pursue  this  policy,  and  will  thus  create  business  for 
and  guard  their  road;  thus,  too,  they  will  quicken 
the  mineral  and  agricultural  resources  of  the  coun 
try,  and  give  to  the  tax  collector,  whether  at  a  port 
of  entry,  or  in  the  service  of  the  internal  revenue 
department,  more  money  each  year  than  this  bill  is 
likely  to  cause  to  be  taken  from  the  treasury." 

"  I  ask  gentlemen  in  considering  this  question 
to  rise  to  its  dignity  and  grandeur.  I  am,  sir,  a 
devotee  to  freedom,  but  would  make  every  country 
in  the  world  tributary  to  my  own.  I  delight  in 
every  manifestation  of  my  country's  power,  and 
glow  with  pride  as  I  contemplate  its  gigantic  pro 
portions,  and  see  how  rapidly  its  people  subdue  the 
wilderness,  and  would,  as  I  have  said,  make  every 
nation  tributary  to  its  power ;  but  I  would  do  this, 
not  by  oppressing  any  people,  not  by  war  with  any 
government,  but  by  improving  the  condition  of  the 
masses  of  my  countrymen  and  those  who  may 
become  such  by  emigration,  and  showing  the  rulers 
and  people  of  the  world  how  speedily  free  institu 
tions  exalt  the  poor  and  oppressed  of  all  nations 
into  free,  self-sustaining  and  self-governing  citizens. 
It  is  in  our  power  to  do  this,  and  by  no  other  means 
can  we  do  it  so  well  or  quickly  as  by  passing  this 
supplement  and  vivifying  the  charter  granted  to  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company." 

But,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  have 
detained  you  too  long,  and  must  close. 
Not,  however,  until  I  shall  have  reminded 
you  that  the  grades  and  snows  of  the 
Alleghanies  have  not  interfered  with  the 
prosperity  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
Company.  That  road  has  not  been  a 


failure.  It  has  done  something  for  the 
improvement  of  Philadelphia.  It  is  the 
most  profitable  railroad,  and  most  pow 
erful  corporation  in  the  United  States. 
[Applause.]  It  has  stretched  its  control 
ling  influence  clear  across  the  Continent. 
Its  vice-president,  our  esteemed  towns 
man,  Thomas  A.  Scott,  Esq.,  is  the 
master-spirit  of  the  Union  Pacific  Com 
pany,  and  of  more  than  one  line  connect 
ing  it  with  Philadelphia.  [Applause.] 
Roads  owned  or  managed  by  the  Penn 
sylvania  Company  await  the  business  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  road,  both  at  St. 
Paul  and  Duluth.  It  has  built  a  road 
to  Erie,  our  beautiful  city  of  the  Lakes, 
where  vessels  charged  with  freight  at 
Duluth  will  in  the  early  spring  and  later 
autumn  of  each  year,  discharge  cargo 
for  New  York  and  Boston,  and  through 
out  the  season  of  Lake  navigation,  for 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore;  and  it  re 
quires  but  little  power  of  the  imagination 
to  behold  Erie  expanding  into  generous 
rivalry  with  Buffalo,  Cleveland  and  De 
troit. 

Though  the  great  characteristics  of 
Philadelphia  will  always  be  those  of  a 
manufacturing  city,  her  commerce  is  to 
revive.  She  will  have  not  a  line  but 
numerous  lines  of  steamships ;  and  many 
of  the  men  who  now  hear  me  will  see  the 
day  when  her  existing  wharf  line  will  be 
wholly  inadequate  for  her  commerce. 
Indeed  the  completion  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  road,  with  the  steadily  increasing 
trade  of  the  Central  route  will  settle  the 
now  vexed  question  of  a  railroad  along 
the  entire  river  front,  and  require  the 
construction  of  docks  from  Greenwich 
Point  to  Richmond.  But  familiar  as  you 
are  with  the  resources  of  our  city  and 
State,  and  the  advanced  condition  of  our 
industries,  I  leave  you  to  estimate  the 
impulse  that  will  be  given  to  every  inte- 
rest  and  industry  of  our  people  by  the 
early  completion  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad.  [Amid  earnest  and  prolonged 
applause  the  speaker  retired.] 


<|lim«t*  mil 


4 


BY  B.  F.  POTTS, 

GOVERNOR  OF  MONTANA  TERRITORY. 


In  the  middle  of  the  continent,  between 
the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Pacific  Ocean — 
in  the  heart  of  that  New  Northwest,  the 
extent,  character  and  resources  of  which 
the  people  are  at  last  beginning  to  appre 
ciate — embracing  within  its  boundaries 
four  parallels  of  latitude  and  no  less  than 
twelve  degrees  of  longitude,  lies  the  great 
Territory  of  Montana.  The  superficial 
area  of  this  territory  is  extensive  enough 
to  make  three  states  as  large  as  New  York, 
the  Empire  State  of  the  East ;  and,  as  I 
have  stated  elsewhere,  I  believe  it  to  be 
the  richest  region  in  agricultural  and 
mineral  resources  on  the  American 
continent.  There  are  at  least  fifty  thous 
and  square  miles  of  tillable  land  within 
its  limits;  and  this  land,  under  a  cheap 
and  simple  process  of  irrigation,  is  of 
unsurpassed  fertility,  yielding  in  the 
greatest  abundance  all  varieties  of  the 
cereals.  I  have  seen  samples  of  wheat 
which  yielded  eighty  bushels  to  the  acre, 
and  the  average  yield,  even  with  the  very 
imperfect  methods  of  cultivation  which  are 
in  vogue  here,  is  from  forty  to  sixty-five 
bushels.  This  exceeds  the  yield  of  the 
famous  wheat-fields  of  Minnesota,  and  is 
about  four  times  as  great  as  the  average 
wheat  crop  of  Ohio.  Rye,  oats  and  barley 
produce  enormously,  and  the  yield  of  vege 
tables  is  simply  without  a  parallel  in  the 
history  of  horticulture  in  America.  The 
common  yield  of  potatoes,  for  instance, 
is  400  bushels  per  acre. 

Lands  for  grazing  purposes,  too,  are 
of  vast  extent  and  of  the  best  quality. 
Grasses  as  nutritious  as  sheaf-oats  cover 
the  hills  and  valleys  and  extend  far  up 


the  mountain  sides,  affording  pasturage 
for  numberless  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep 
during  the  entire  year.  The  cattle  alone ' 
now  to  be  found  in  the  Territory  number 
at  least  sixty  thousand  head,  and  so 
abundant  are  these  grasses,  and  so  mild 
is  our  climate,  that  no  grain  or  hay  is  fed 
to  them  at  all — they  take  care  of  them 
selves  and  keep  fat  all  winter.  Our  meat 
markets  are  supplied  with  beef  taken 
from  among  the  different  herds  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  and  it  is  found  to  be 
of  the  fattest  and  sweetest,  making  de 
licious  food,  superior  generally  in  quality 
and  flavor  to  the  grain  fed  stock  of  the 
States.  Certainly  no  country  can  sur 
pass  this  for  grazing  purposes  ;  and  there 
is  none  where,  in  the  future,  when  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  has  reached 
us,  such  fortunes  are  to  be  made  in  the 
business  of  raising  stock  for  the  market. 

Of  the  mineral  wealth  of  Montana  all 
the  world  has  heard.  Not  less  than  twelve 
million  dollars'  worth  of  gold-dust  was 
taken  from  the  mines  last  season,  and 
iron,  copper,  coal,  and  other  minerals 
exist  in  exhaustless  abundance. 

I  suppose,  however,  that  the  thing 
about  our  New  Northwest  which  has  most 
surprised  the  public  is  the  genial  charac 
ter  of  its  climate.  Radically  different  as 
it  may  seem  from  the  prevalent  idea  re 
garding  it,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  the 
climate  of  Montana,  as  a  whole,  is  milder 
than  that  of  New  York,  while  the  purity 
and  dryness  of  the  atmosphere  make  the 
variations  of  temperature  far  less  noticea 
ble.  The  old  theory  that  the  further 
north  we  go  the  more  severe  the  climate 


CLIMATE   AND    RESOURCES    OF    MONTANA. 


becomes  is  now  generally  exploded.  It 
is  understood,  at  last,  that  isothermal 
divisions,  except  in  their  larger  aspects, 
are  entirely  independent  of  degrees  of 
latitude ;  and  the  various  explorers  and 
topographers  who  have  been  sent  out  here 
by  the  Government  have  shown  by  instru 
mental  tests  that  the  temperature  of 
Walla  Walla,  on  the  46th  degree  of  lati 
tude,  is  the  same  as  that  of  Washington 
City,  on  the  38th;  that  of  Clark's  Fork, 
in  Montana,  on  the  48th,  the  same  as 
that  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  on  the  4ist; 
and  that  of  the  Bitter  Root  Valley,  Mis- 
soiila  County,  Montana,  on  the  46th, 
the  same  as  that  of  Philadelphia,  on 
the  4ist. 

The  winters  in  this  section  are  gener 
ally  open  and  pleasant,  as  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  of  the  cattle  grazing  without 
shelter  all  winter.  The  valleys  are 
hardly  ever  covered  with  snow,  and  it 
is  rare  that  the  roads  are  not  dry  and 
passable  for  ten  months  in  the  year.  On 
the  mountains,  of  course,  as  in  moutain- 
ous  regions  usually,  winter  sometimes 
pinches  hard,  and  snow  falls  to  considera 
ble  depths;  but  even  the  mountains  are  not 
the  least  attractive  features  of  the  territory. 
The  elevation  of  the  mountains,  valleys, 
and  plains  of  Montana  above  the  level  of 
the  sea  is  from  2,000  to  4,000  feet  less 
than  that  of  Wyoming  and  Utah.  This 
fact  alone  goes  far  to  explain  the  milder 
climate  and  vastly  greater  productive 
ness  of  Montana. 

How  this  great  wealth,  agricultural 
and  mineral,  is  to  be  utilized  and  made  to 
contribute  its  due  share  to  the  nation's 
commercial  prosperity  is  a  question  not  less 
important  to  the  people  at  large  than  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Montana  itself;  and  in 
considering  it  I  am  brought  to  that  great 
enterprise,  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad, 
now  building  and  destined  to  traverse  from 
east  to  west  our  entire  territory.  This  road 
will  drain  our  richest  valleys,  and  furnish 
an  outlet  for  the  immense  future  surplus 
productions  of  the  Territory.  All  that  has 


heretofore  been  written  about  the  super 
ior  land-grant  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  in  Montana,  scarcely  gives  an 
adequate  conception  of  the  extent  and 
true  value  of  the  grant.  The  company 
will  receive  twenty-five  thousand  six  hun 
dred  acres  of  our  best  agricultural  and 
grazing  land  for  every  mile  of  road  that 
is  built — lands  which  not  only  possess 
all  the  advantages  which  I  have  men 
tioned,  but  are  within  easy  reach  of 
timber,  and  abound  in  fine  building- 
stone  of  almost  every  variety  and  inex 
haustible  in  quantity.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  these  lands  will  not  only  cancel  the 
entire  cost  of  building  the  railroad,  but 
will  leave  a  surplus  to  the  company. 

The  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  is  of 
immense  importance  to  Montana.  It 
will  enable  our  stock  raisers  to  compete 
on  favorable  terms  with  those  of  Illinois 
and  other  states  in  the  markets  of  the 
Eastern  cities.  A  new  impetus  will  be 
given  to  all  our  industries.  Our  mines 
will  be  developed,  new  ones  will  be 
opened,  and  those  that  produced  twelve 
million  dollars  in  gold  last  season  will 
far  exceed  that  sum  annually.  Our  popu 
lation  will  rapidly  increase :  the  sixty- 
two  cities  and  towns  we  now  have  will  be 
doubled  in  number  and  quadrupled  in 
size;  and  the  public  land,  now  unoccu 
pied,  will  be  cultivated  by  actual  settlers. 
Other  prosperous  states  will  spring  up 
around  us  ;  and  before  we  enter  upon 
another  decade  this  great  Northwest, 
now  lying  broad  and  inviting  before  the 
settler,  will  be  contributing  its  rightful 
share  toward  the  wealth,  commerce,  and 
general  prosperity  of  the  nation. 

The  enterprise  which  is  opening  this 
New  Northwest  is  truly  a  great  national 
work,  and  well  deserves  the  encourage 
ment,  co-operation  and  support  alike  of 
all  who,  as.  Americans,  feel  an  interest 
in  the  country's  progress,  or  who  as 
capitalists  desire  a  liberal  return  upon 
investment. 


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